Tempting Fate
by J.C. Elizabeth
Summary: Scarlette Clearwater, Seth's cousin, moves back to La Push, and, on her first day home, Jacob imprints on her. Still in love with Bella, he rejects the imprint, trying to deny his connection to Scarlette. But, fate is never wrong. Can Jacob let go of his feelings for Bella, or will he put Scarlette's life and their relationship on the line to save the girl he thinks he loves?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, only Scarlette

It is important to know that in this story takes place around the time of Eclipse. Some of events will be the same but some will not. As of right now, Jacob is still in love with Bella.

* * *

It had been ten years since I had set foot in La Push. Ten years since my parents divorced and I had been forced to move away with my mother. Ten years since I said goodbye to my family and friends, but as I stepped off the plane in Port Angeles I had the comforting feeling that I was finally going home.

"Scarlette!" I could hear someone calling my name before I could see who it was, "Scarlette! Over here!"

Even after ten years, I could recognize my cousin anywhere.

"Seth!" I cried when he was in my line of sight. I raced towards him, occasionally bumping into the people around me. When I was close enough to him, I launched myself into his arms. When we were younger, we had been more of best friends than cousins. Even though we hadn't seen each other since the move, we spoke all the time.

"How are you?" he questioned as we embraced each other. His smile was infectious.

"I'm great!" I grinned back, "It's so good to see you again!"

"It has been way too long!" he said as we let go of each other.

Together, we walked to the baggage claim and waited for the last of my belongings to wind its way around the belt.

"How is everyone?" I asked hesitantly, "I'm sorry about Uncle Harry, I tried to come back for the funeral but…"

"I understand. I remember how Aunt Abagail can be, it's not your fault." There was pain evident in his eyes. The death of Uncle Harry was still fresh, his wounds had barely started to feel.

I laid a reassuring hand on his arm, "I'm here if you want to talk about anything."

He gave a small smile but didn't say anything. We waited in silence for a few minutes until, finally, my luggage rolled into view.

Seth quickly gathered everything I owned and headed for the exit.

"I can help carry some of that, you know." I called as struggled to keep pace with him.

"Don't worry about it. You've have been on a plane all day," He said over his shoulder, "I don't mind."

I kept quiet as I ran behind him. A couple of people snickered at the sight of the two of us. Seth seemed to have no idea that I was struggling to keep up.

He led me out of the airport and into the nearest parking lot. By the time we reached the small, red car that he told me belonged to a friend of his, I was exhausted.

"When did you get so fast?" I asked, between deep breaths. I couldn't believe I was actually winded after that.

"Sorry," He said, sheepishly, "I guess I didn't realize how fast I was walking. You okay?"

"I'll live," I told him.

He laughed as he unlocked the car. I climbed inside while he put my belongings in the trunk. He, then, climbed in the driver's seat, started the car, turned to me and asked, "Are you ready to finally be home?"

XXX

The ride to La Push was peacefully silence. Seth seemed to be lost in his own thoughts while I muddled over what it was going to be like to be back in La Push. Would people recognize me? Would I recognize them? Would I like being back?

When Seth's house finally came into view, I smiled at the familiarity of it; it looked exactly the same as it did when I was younger.

Seth grinned at my reaction. We pulled into the long driveway, where Aunt Sue was waiting. I jumped out of the car before Seth had even stopped it and ran to the front porch. Aunt Sue had tears in her eyes as we embraced each other.

"Welcome home." She said to me.

We spent the next few minutes on the porch catching up while Seth brought my luggage inside. I tried to help but both he and Aunt Sue refused.

"I'm going to Jake's," Seth declared as he came back outside, "I have to bring his car back. Want to come, Scarlette?"

"Um…" I was suddenly nervous. I wasn't sure I was ready to meet people.

"You should go," Aunt Sue encouraged, "Jake's a good guy and it'll be nice for you to meet some people on the Rez before you start school on Monday. Just don't be late to the bonfire." She caught Seth's eye.

"Bonfire?" I questioned.

"We have a bonfire with some other families on the Rez every Friday night." Seth must have sensed my slight panic, "Don't worry, they can't wait to meet you."

"Okay." It came out like a squeak.

"There's no need to be nervous," Aunt Sue put a comforting arm around my shoulder, "You're family. They just want to welcome you home."

I nodded but no words came out. I didn't like meeting new people, I wasn't good at it. I would sweat, my hands would get clammy, I would stutter, and trip over my own two feet.

"It'll be great, I promise," Seth vowed, "Now, come on, Jake will kill me if I don't get his car back to him soon."

I followed Seth wordlessly to the car. After a few short minutes, we pulled up to a small, one story house with an attachable garage.

"Ready?" She wondered.

"I guess." I mumbled, folding my arms across my chest.

Seth laughed, a big, booming laughed, that echoed off the trees as we stepped out of the car, "I don't know what you're so afraid of, we don't bite."

I gave him a dirty look, he gave me a lopsided grin.

"Just relax, Jake will love you." He threw his arm around my shoulder and led me into the garage, "Hey Jake! Brought your car back in piece just like you asked!" The first thing I saw when I entered the garage was a red, dingy, decrepit looking truck with a pair of tan legs underneath it, "Oh, hey Bella! I didn't know you were gonna be here! How are you?"

"Hey Seth," Her voice was quiet but she smiled at him, "The truck is having some problems and Jake offered to look at it for me."

"Don't you think it's time for a new truck?" Seth joked. Bella glared at him like this wasn't the first time she had had this conversation. He winked at her, "Here's your keys, Jake." Seth gently tossed the keys towards the ground and just when I thought they were gonna hit the cold pavement a hand reached out from underneath the car, grabbed them, and stuffed them into the pocket of a cut-off pair of shorts, "By the way, Bella, this is my cousin Scarlette. She just moved back to the La Push from Chicago. She's gonna be living with us now." I blushed at the life story Seth had just given Bella.

"Nice to meet you." She gave me a delicate smile.

"Nice to meet you, too." I all but whispered.

"Jake," Seth barked, "Get your ass out from under the truck and meet Scarlette."

Jake mumbled something in audible and reluctantly, it seemed, rolled out from under the car.

I realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt and I turned my head away from him before he caught me staring at his perfectly chiseled chest. I could feel a blush rolling across my cheeks.

"Hey, Scarlette." His voice was deeper than I was expecting.

I turned to face to him to be polite but was caught off guard by how tall he was. He stood almost a head taller than Seth and practically two feet taller than my five foot frame. My mouth dropped open slightly; I couldn't believe he could fit underneath the truck he was working on.

My eyes darted across the garage, "Hi." It came out an octave higher than normal. This was why I hated meeting new people.

"It's nice to meet you." He chuckled at my reaction to him which caused my eyes to finally meet his.

"It's nice to meet you, too." I said, embarrassed.

However, he didn't seem to be listening to me anymore. He was staring at me with this vacant, yet slightly adoring gaze. He seemed transfixed, like he couldn't move. I cocked my head to the side, hoping invoke some kind of reaction out of him, but he remained still.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Jake?" Seth gripped his shoulder, shaking him a little. Then, his eyes widened, "Oh my God, Jake, did you just-"

"Jacob." Bella's fragile voice broke through Seth's.

_That_ invoked a reaction out of Jake. He jumped away from me and shook his head, almost as if he was clearing it.

When he finally met my gaze again his eyes were hard, angry, not the adoring ones he had only moments before.

"No," He growled, "Not now, not _you_."

"Excuse me?" I gasped.

"Jake." Seth's tone was warning.

"You've just ruined everything!" He roared. The tool he was holding in his right hand was suddenly hurdling towards the wall of the garage. I flinched when it left a dent. It was then that I noticed his shaking.

Tears were in my eyes before I could stop them, "What did I do?" My voice was barely audible.

"Cool it, Jake." Seth was in front of me, then, shielding me from Jake's murderous gaze.

"Jake, let's take a walk." Bella placed her small hand on Jake's forearm, which seemed to calm his shaking a little.

"Get out," He snarled at me. I recoiled at the harshness of his words, "Get out and don't ever come back here."

He didn't have to tell me twice. I was running out of the garage before he finished his sentence. I didn't know the direction I was heading in, but I pushed myself to just _get away_ from Jacob. Although the farther I ran, the more pain I seemed to feel.

In the distance, I could vaguely hear Seth screaming my name.

* * *

Please read and review, I would love to know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Reviews would be really appreciated! Leave me all the feedback you can! Please and Thank you!

* * *

After wandering through the depths of La Push for forty-five minutes, I finally found Aunt Sue's house. She was standing on the porch, almost as if she had yet to move, giving me a sad smile. It was her smile that made me realize that Seth had most likely told her about my encounter with Jake.

"He wasn't that good of a guy." I spat when I walked up the steps, my anger suddenly bubbling to the surface, "He was a jerk. A horrible, terrible, rude jerk who had no right to speak to me the way he did! I didn't even do anything but say hello to him and now I'm never allowed back to his house. What is his problem?" Aunt Sue didn't say anything, she just let me rant, "If I never see that boy again it'll be too soon!"

When I was finished, she led me into the house. I followed her into the kitchen where there were two cups of tea waiting for us on the table.

"Seth?" I questioned.

"He was worried about you but he stayed at Jacob's to yell at him, I believe." She gestured for me to sit down, "I know this is the last thing you want to hear right, but Jacob really is a good guy. He's just having…a rough patch right now. A lot has happened to him in these past few months, and, well, he's still trying to cope, he's just not very good at controlling his anger."

"Well, I don't care what has happened or what he's going through, _nothing_ gives him the right to talk to anyone like that. You should've seen the way he looked at me, Aunt Sue, he was just so, so _cruel_. I've never had someone look at me with such hatred."

"You're right, and I promise you, he will face the consequences from the way he spoke to you. I'm just asking you to not give up on him just yet. Give him the chance to make things right, I think you'll find out soon enough that you're happier with Jacob in your life. It takes a lot more energy to hate someone than it does to care about them. The bonfire starts in the two hours, you might want to get some rest before we go." She rose from the table, her cup of tea in her hands, "Your room is down the hall, the last one on the right." She disappeared leaving me alone with her lingering words.

XXX

I found it was a lot easier to fall asleep than I originally thought. I was sleeping within minutes of my head hitting the pillow, the day's events finally catching up with me. I slept dreamlessly for an hour before getting up to get ready for tonight.

I showered quickly in the bathroom I was now sharing with Seth and Leah. I assumed Seth was still with Jake because he had yet to come home and I had no clue where Leah had been all day.

I let my hair fall in its natural waves as I applied a light amount of makeup. Then, I dressed in a simple yellow V-neck and a pair of shorts. When I was finally finished, it was time to go.

Aunt Sue drove the two of us to La Push beach, telling me that everyone was going to meet us there. She had made three huge bowls of potato salad as well as three bowls of pasta salad. She was worried it wasn't enough, I was convinced it was too much.

The beach was in full swing by the time we arrived. I could see the fire licking at the crowd around it. I could feel my hands starting to clam up.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"I didn't realize that there would be this many people here." I whispered.

Aunt Sue put a comforting hand on my knee, "Everything will be okay."

I took a deep breath and climbed out of the car. I jumped when I realized there were two guys standing in front of the car. Like Jacob had been earlier, they were tall, shirtless, and wearing cut-off shorts. The only difference between him and them was that they were smiling at me.

"You must be Scarlette," One of them sauntered over to me and held his hand out, "The names Ateara," He smirked, "Quil Ateara."

I smiled slightly as I shook his hand, hoping he wouldn't notice how clammy it was. I flinched at how hot his hand was; it was a heat I had never experienced before. I pulled away before he left a burn mark.

The other boy snorted out of a laugh, "Smooth," he moved towards us, "I'm Embry Call. We came to help you and Sue carry the food to the beach." He gave me a genuine smile, it helped me relax a little.

"I'm Scarlette Clearwater." I shook his hand quickly, trying to cover up the pain I felt at touching him, "The food is in the back seat."

The two of them managed to carry all the bowls without my help and it was then that I noticed Aunt Sue was already at the beach. She winked when she caught me glaring.

"How do you like La Push so far?" Embry asked as I walked between him and Quil.

"Today hasn't been the highlight of my life," I told him, "But La Push is my home and I'm glad to be back."

"Oh yeah, we heard about what happened with Jake. Don't let him bother you, he always been a dick." Quil said nonchalantly.

I stopped walking which caused Embry and Quil to look at me with questioning glances.

"What's wrong?" Embry wondered.

"Does everyone know what happened?" I groaned. Having to meet everyone for the first time was embarrassing enough, I didn't need the Jacob incidence looming over me too. I contemplated turning back.

"Well, yeah," Quil said. I could tell he regretted bringing Jacob up, "But don't worry, no one will say anything to you about it."

I noticed Embry make eye connect with one of the guys standing around the fire. Even from a distance, I could tell that he was taller than everyone else at the bonfire. I could sense authority radiating off of him, like he was the ringleader of everyone. He nodded at Embry.

"No one wants to embarrass you," Embry said, almost as if he was reading my mind, "We just want to get to know you. How old are you?"

We started walking again. I was actually starting to feel somewhat comfortable around the two of them. If everyone else turned out to be this nice then maybe, just maybe, tonight wasn't going to be so bad.

"Seventeen. You guys?"

"Eighteen." They said together.

"Where did you move from?" Quil fired off the next question.

"Near Chicago."

"Did you like it there?" Embry continued.

"It was okay, but I'm more of a small town girl," I explained, "I've been begging my mom for years to let me move back here."

"What made her finally agree?" Quil again.

"Embry! Quil! Let the girl breathe!" Someone barked.

"We're just trying to get to know the girl, Sam." Quil said with a smile on his face.

"The girl has a name, you know," A female voice cut in. She appeared behind Sam who had turned out to be the one Embry had been nodding at a minute ago, "Scarlette, right?"

I could only nod. It was rude, I knew it was, I knew I shouldn't have been staring, but I couldn't help to look at the three long, prominent, red scars that turned half her face into a permanent grimace. I stared until Sam cleared his throat.

"Sorry!" I cried, blushing crimson. Emily smiled which made her look extraordinary beautiful, "Yes, I'm Scarlette, Seth and Leah's cousin."

"I'm Emily," She didn't seem bothered by my staring. I assumed she was used to it, "I'm Seth and Leah's cousin from the Makah reservation, it's so nice to finally meet you. Seth has been talking about you coming for weeks now." I could distinctly remember Leah talking about her.

At the mention of his name, Seth popped up behind Emily, "Scarlette, hey, are you okay?"

I was then met with the sympathetic stares of Seth, Sam, Emily, Embry, and Quil.

"I'm fine," I said curtly. I turned my attention back to Emily, "It's nice to meet you too."

She seemed to sense that I was uncomfortable so she said, "Let me introduce you to everyone else."

I smiled gratefully at her as she linked her arm with mine.

"What did I say?" I vaguely heard Seth mumble as one of the guys—I was pretty sure it was Embry—smacked him in the back of the head.

"Don't let them get to you," She whispered as she led him to different group of guys, "They're boys, they really don't know anything."

I laughed. It was easy to tell that Emily was a genuinely nice person. It was hard to be uncomfortable around her.

"These are the rest of the guys," She told me when we stopped next to a group of guys playing foot, "Hey boys, come meet Scarlette!"

I was amazed to see how exactly they seemed to listen to her. They dropped the football and gave her their full attention.

"What's up, Emily?" One of them asked.

"This is Seth and Leah's cousin, Scarlette, she just moved back into town," She told them, "Scarlette, this is Brady and Collin," There were the youngest people I had met so far, "Jared," He smiled at me, "and Paul." He wore an annoyed expression, I assumed it was because we had interrupted his game.

"Aren't you the girl that Jake-" Paul began to say before I finally lost it.

"Yes! I am the girl that Jacob yelled at earlier the today!" I could tell that I had everyone's attention even if I couldn't see them all, "I am the girl that he took one look at and decided he couldn't stand! Now, I know all of you know what happened and I'm sure you all think that Jacob is this great person, but you'll have to excuse if I think he's an ass and don't want to talk about him anymore! So, please, I'm begging you, stop bringing him up." I was breathing heavy by the time I finished my rant. At first no one said anything, but after a few seconds Paul's face split into a grin.

"Damn girl!" He walked over to me and threw his arm around my shoulders, "I'm impressed, I didn't there could be such a pistol in such a small body. Even if Jake was an ass earlier, he's damn lucky to have met you today. I almost wish I had met you first."

I realized that everyone at this point was smiling at me. A few people were even laughing.

"You are going to fit in just fine around here with an attitude like that." Embry laughed.

After a few more of the guys cheered me on after my little rant, I was feeling a lot more comfortable. Seth and Aunt Sue were right, they were extremely welcoming people.

After meeting all the boys, I met Jared's girlfriend Kim, Emily's niece Claire who seemed rather attached to Quil to my surprise, Quil's grandfather, Old Quil, and Jacob's father, Billy.

"Sorry about calling Jacob an ass," I blushed sheepishly, embarrassment crawling its way back into the pit of my stomach.

"Nonsense," Billy shrugged it off, "From what I've heard, he was an ass. And trust me, I know from experience how difficult the boy can be. I apologize for any pain he caused and I can promise you, he'll have me to deal with when he gets home."

I smiled, Billy seemed easy to get along with. I couldn't believe he and Jacob were from the same family tree.

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

Billy winked at me, "You can always come to me when that boy of mine is being thick-headed. I'll straighten him out for you. Now, go enjoy the evening with your friends."

I didn't have the heart to tell him that I never wanted to speak to his son again, but I smiled when he said the word friends.

I walked back over to the bonfire where everyone was roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. I sat between Embry and Quil, and watched in amazement as the boys devoured every scrap of food available. I spent a good hour talking and getting to know everyone; I couldn't remember the last time I felt this comfortable or laughed this much. Leah had finally shown up wearing a scowl on her face. I tried talking to her but she only glared at me in response; Seth told me it wasn't worth the time so I left her alone. The night had turned out to be so fun that Jacob was almost completely erased from my mind.

Almost.

Embry and I were arguing over who could have the last marshmallow when Paul's anger voice sliced through every conversation.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me." He snapped as he rose to his feet.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Seriously?" Jared groaned, "Not this again."

"He should know better by now." Quil chimed in.

Seth emitted a small growl.

"What's going on?" I turned to Embry for the answer.

He gently grabbed my hand as he pulled me to my feet. He was glaring at something off in the distance that I couldn't see, "Jake's here."

"What?" It suddenly felt like I had the wind knocked out of me. I couldn't face him twice in one day, "I have to get out of here."

"Scarlette." Embry's face softened.

"I can't be around him again, Embry. I can only take so much cruelness in one day." I whispered.

"You're not going anywhere," Sam said, authority in his voice, "He's going to behave or he's going to be the one leaving."

I didn't move.

Paul and Embry shifted so that they were on either side of me, shielding me slightly, when Jacob came into view.

It wasn't until he was illuminated by the fire that I noticed that Bella was with him. A jealous sensation bubbled its way into my stomach at the sight of her. There was slight part of me that wanted to dislike her, hate her almost.

"What are you doing, Jake?" Paul growled, "You know the rules."

"Screw the rules." Jacob bit back, "I'm not hurting anyone."

"Are you sure about that?" Jared countered.

That was when Jacob noticed I was there. His eyes narrowed at the sight of me.

"What is she doing here?" He demanded.

"The bonfire is for her." Quil said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"She shouldn't be here." Jacob snarled, "I don't _want_ her here."

"That isn't for you to decide," Sam stepped in, "She's family now, and she's welcome wherever we are."

"So she's welcome, but Bella isn't?" I noticed he was starting to shake again.

"Bella isn't family." Embry spoke up while shooting Bella an apologetic gaze.

"She could be, if you just gave her a chance." Jacob snapped. Bella looked uncomfortable by the direction the conversation had taken, but I really didn't care.

"Maybe I should go." She said. I hoped she would.

"I'll go with you." Jacob said. He laced his fingers with hers and there was a stab at my heart.

I almost didn't want him to go.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked before I could stop myself. Everyone looked shocked that I spoke, "What could I have done to make you hate me so much?" He didn't turn to look at me. I was getting sick of this bullshit, "Dammit, Jacob, if you're gonna be so cruel, I deserve to know why."

He turned to me his eyes blazing. His lip was pulled back exposing his teeth. He looked terrifying and I almost backed done, "You took away my freewill."

I couldn't move as he stormed away with Bella.


	3. Chapter 3

Okay, here's a little background information you need to know: In this story, Sam and Emily are 21, Paul, Jared, Kim, and Leah are 19, Jacob, Embry, and Quil are 18, Seth and Scarlette are 17, and Brady and Collin are 16.

Please read and review! I'm dying to know what everyone thinks!

* * *

Monday rolled around quicker than I expected. I spent Saturday and Sunday in the house, too terrified of running into Jacob and too embarrassed to risk seeing anyone else. Seth had been kind enough to hang out with me, occasionally leaving to "take care of some business" as he put it. Leah had pretty much been gone the whole weekend—where, I didn't know—but when she was home she barricaded herself in her room.

This morning, Aunt Sue had driven Seth and I to school, which had greatly embarrassed. I couldn't bring myself to care.

Seth led me into the building—it was the smallest school I had ever seen—and walked me to the main office.

"Want me to go in with you?" He asked. He didn't have a backpack, he carried all his books in his left hand.

"No, I'll be fine," I said, though it was a lie. I was nowhere near ready to start my senior year at a new school, "I don't want you to be late for your class. I'll see you at lunch."

Seth explained to me that since the school was small enough everyone ate lunch together. I was relieved I didn't have to sit alone.

Seth must have sensed that I was lying because he enveloped me in a hug.

"You're gonna do great."

"Uh, thanks."

He let go of me, "I'll see you in a few hours."

Then, he disappeared into the sea of people packing their way into the small school.

Pulling myself together, I took a deep breath, and walked into the main office.

There was an elderly woman typing furiously on her computer that looked to be older than I was.

"Um, excuse me, I'm Scarlette Clearwater—"

"Oh! Of course, dear, we've been expecting you," The woman sprung to life. She leaped out of her seat and frantically began grabbing at papers on her desk, "You're Seth Clearwater's cousin, right? He's such a nice young man. I'm not sure about those friends of his though. Okay, here's your locker information, your class schedule, and a couple papers for your Aunt to sign," She took a deep breath, "I think that's everything…oh, wait! There's a young man who should be here any minute to show you around the school," In the next second, the door swung open, "Ah, Mr. Black, right on time. This is our new student, Scarlette Clearwater. Your job this morning is to make sure she knows her way around the building, understand?"

I turned around and bit back a groan. Jacob was standing in front of me, wearing a shirt for the first time. I wasn't surprised to see him glaring at me.

"Is there anyone else who can do this," Jacob asked, pretending I was no longer in the room, "I'm not feeling very well."

"That excuse isn't going to work anymore, Jacob Black. You've already missed too much school and this is part of the way you're making up for it." Her voice was final; he wasn't getting out of this.

"Fine," He growled after a brief staring contest. His eyes flickered to mine. I couldn't face the harshness of them so I looked away, "Let's get this over with." He barked and stormed out of the office.

I dragged my feet after him.

"Enjoy your first day, dear."

"Thank you." It was already hell.

Jacob and I walked through the halls, silent, a good foot of space between us. No one else was in the hall; I hadn't heard the bell for first period.

Finally, he asked, "Do you know your locker number?"

"1408" I answered.

"Do you know where that is?" His voice was rough.

"It's my first day," I snapped, "Why would you be here if I knew where I was going?"

He snarled, "What happed to the quiet cousin Seth kept rambling about?"

"She disappeared the second you decided to hate me." I spat.

Jacob flinched at my words, "Hate is a strong word." I ignored him, "Seth scared you would be scared to meet me, well, all of us. You don't seem to be anything like he described."

"I was scared to meet all of you. I have difficulties being comfortable around new people sometimes," I said, folding my arms across my chest, refusing to look at him. He didn't deserve to know this, "Now, I'm just scared to be around you." I mumbled the last part to myself.

He stopped moving suddenly and after a few seconds, I followed suit, "You're afraid of me? Do you think I'm going to hurt you?" He seemed pained by the thought.

I didn't answer, I didn't know what to say.

"I don't hit girls." He growled, his anger back in a flash.

"You can cause more than physical pain," I shot at him, "You may not have physically hurt me on Friday night, but you sure as hell caused me a lot of internal pain. I've met a lot of people in my life—whether I've wanted to or not—and no one has reacted as hateful to me as you did upon meeting me."

Jacob was at a loss for words, "I…"

I held my hand up, "I don't want to hear it. I just seriously hope you don't treat your girlfriend that way."

He gave me a funny look, "I don't have a girlfriend." He snapped.

"Well, excuse me," My voice was laced with attitude, "The way you were attached to Bella's hip, I assumed you were dating."

"No," He sounded bitter, "She's dating someone else."

"But you want to be dating her?" For some reason, I needed to know the answer.

"I'm the better choice for her. I just need to get her to see that she loves me too."

"You can't force her to love you. If she loves this other guy, and he can take of her and give her the life she wants, who are you to stand in the way of that?"

He moved so fast that I didn't have time to react. He grabbed my right wrist and slammed me into the lockers.

"Don't talk about things you don't understand," He snarled in my face, "_Especially _when it comes to Bella."

The tightness of his grip and the heat radiating off of his hand caused me to cry out, "Jacob! You're hurting me!"

He dropped my hand like it was the one on fire. His eyes were frantic; he started shaking.

"Jacob…" I said hesitantly.

"It was an accident," He said hurriedly, "I have to go."

And then, he ran like hell out of the building and away from me.

XXX

I was thankful when it was time for lunch. My classes had been decent; most of my teachers just let me go unnoticed, only one of them made me introduce myself to the class.

When I got out of English, Quil was waiting for me.

"What's up, buttercup?" He took my books for me as I opened my locker.

"Hey, Quil."

"I've come to escort you to lunch, the rest of the gang is meeting us there. You liking the place so far?" I thought of Jacob and I visibly flinched, "Hey, you okay?"

"I'm fine," I faked a smile as I slammed my locker shut, "Just a lot of new people for one day."

He left the topic alone as we walked to the cafeteria, which I was grateful for.

The cafeteria was bigger than I was expecting; round tables were scattered across the open space.

I spotted Seth and some guys from the bonfire sitting in the far back corner.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Quil asked.

"I'm not hungry," He looked like he wanted to argue, so I added, "It's just nerves, I'll eat when I get home."

I didn't wait for him to respond. Eventually he disappeared into the lunch line.

"Mind if I join you?" I asked when I got to the table.

I recognized Embry, Brady, and Collin sitting with Seth.

"Scarlette, hey, we missed you this weekend," Embry got out to of his seat to hug me.

"Sorry, I was catching up on some sleep. I haven't been getting much because of the move."

He didn't buy it, none of them did, but they were polite enough not to push it.

"Where is everyone else?" I wondered, trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Paul, Jared, Leah, and Kim graduated last year, Sam graduated two years before them, and Jake, well, I don't know where Jake is."

"He better get his ass here if he knows what's good for him," Quil finally joined us, "He's one strike away for being kicked out of school."

"Any idea where he is?" I think it was Brady asked.

The guys all shook their heads. Something in my facial expression must have given me away because Seth asked, "Have you seen Jake?"

"This morning. He wasn't feel good so…I think he went home sick." It was partially true, he did leave.

Absentmindedly, I started rubbing my wrist.

"Scarlette!" Seth's eyes went wide, "What happened?"

It was the first time I realized my wrist was bruising. I could faintly see finger marks.

"I…I…"I couldn't come up with an excuse fast enough.

"Did Jake do that to you?" Seth demanded.

"No!" I said a little too loud.

They saw right through me.

"He hurt you?" Seth cried, jumping to his feet.

He caught the attention of the entire cafeteria.

I ducked my head down, letting my hair cover my face, "Seth, please, stop."

I was praying no one was looking at me.

"Are you okay?" Embry questioned.

"What happened?" Collin asked.

I didn't say anything.

"Tell us, Scarlette." I had never heard Seth so angry before. I didn't argue with him.

"Yes, it was Jacob," my voice was as quiet as I could make it, "I said something about Bella and he got mad at me."

I jumped when Seth slammed his hands on the table, "I am going to kill him."

He began stalking away from us.

"Seth…" I tried going after him but Quil blocked my path.

"Embry, make sure she gets home okay." Seth called before he disappeared.

Everyone was still watching us.

A few minutes later, a howl pierced the air.

XXX

Sure enough, Embry was waiting outside my classroom when the final bell rang.

"Have you heard from Seth?" I demanded as soon as I saw him.

"No, not yet."

"Will you tell me why Seth was freaking out like that?"

"I already told you, I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," I glared at him, "It's not my place."

"You know something and you're not telling me," He didn't say anything, "He's my cousin, I'm entitled to know what's going on with him."

"Stop pestering me, Scar," He followed me to my locker so I could grab my things, "He's probably at home waiting to tell you what happened."

Begrudgingly, I dropped the subject, and followed him out of the building.

"You don't have to drive me home," I said, I needed a little time to get my thoughts together, "I can walk."

"I'll let you walk home if you can tell me how to get there." He said.

"Um…" He smirked at me, "I could figure it out."

"Just get in." He laughed.

Embry spent most of the ride home trying to get a good look at my wrist. I suspected that he wanted to see how badly Jacob hurt me but I did my best to keep it out of his line of sight.

When we got to the house someone was waiting on the front porch.

Embry growled, "What the hell is he doing here?"

When he stopped the car, I realized it was Jacob. I looked at Embry with panicked eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." He was comforting to have around.

Together, we climbed out of the car.

"What are you doing here, Jake?" Embry demanded.

"What are you doing with Scarlette?" Jacob countered.

"She's my friend," Embry snapped, "Which is more than you can say."

Jacob snarled at him.

"Seriously, Jacob, why are you here?" I questioned, wanting him gone as soon as possible.

"I need to talk to you." He eyed Embry.

"I'm not leaving." Embry folded his arms across his chest.

"Scarlette isn't your concern." Jacob snapped.

"I'm staying. So tell Scar whatever it is you have to say and then leave." Embry ordered.

"Fine. I came to tell you that I think it's clear that we won't be able to avoid each other around here, but I think it's best if we just try to ignore one another. I don't see any way for us to ever really be friends or even acquaintances, so I think it'll be better if we just pretend we don't exist to each other."

Anger and hurt flooded every inch of my body, making it hard to breathe. Tears burned my eyes, "Screw you, Jacob Black."

I ran into the house, leaving Embry to deal with Jacob.


	4. Chapter 4

Please read and review! Thank you to everyone who already has!

* * *

"Scarlette, let's go!" Seth's booming voice echoed off the walls.

"In a minute!" I yelled back. I was still in the bathroom getting ready.

"Everyone's already there." He groaned.

"Then we'll be fashionably late."

It was Friday and we were about to leave for another bonfire. It was colder tonight then it was last week, so I was wearing jeans and a long-sleeve shirt.

Finally, I emerged from the bathroom, "Has anyone ever told you that patience is a virtue?"

"Has anyone ever told you to start hurrying your ass up?"

We continued bantering as we climbed into Aunt Sue's car. She had gotten a ride to the beach a few hours ago.

The ride was short and just as Seth had said, everyone was already here.

"Aw, they already started the football game." Seth whined. He jumped out of the car and started running. I noticed they were all shirtless again.

I laughed as I took my time walking towards the woman, Old Quil, and Billy.

"Scarlette, it's so good to see you again." Emily embraced me as soon as I was in arms reach.

"It was good to see you, too." And I meant it. I had been excited to see her and Kim again; after being with the guys all week it was nice to have some female interaction. Kim and I shared a quick hug.

"Hey, Scarlette." I turned around and was met with an awkward smile for Bella. My stomach dropped. Could Jacob go anywhere without him?

"Oh, hey, Bella, how are you?" I forced a smile which I pretty sure turned out to be a grimace.

"Good, you?"

I wanted to be nice, I really did, but seeing Bella brought up memories of Jacob that I didn't want to relive.

True to his word, Jacob hadn't spoken a single word to me. He had fully mastered the art of pretending I didn't exist.

He was only in one of my classes—which I was grateful for—but he was refusing to sit with his friends at lunch because of me. I offered to sit somewhere else but Seth wouldn't hear of it.

It was Jake's problem, he said, and he had to grow up and get over it.

I found out on Monday that Seth had tracked Jacob down and really tore into him. I didn't really understand what that meant because Jacob looked fine to me, but Seth was really proved of himself and I didn't want to ruin that.

"I'm good, thanks." I told her.

"How was your first week of school, Scarlette?" Kim asked, delicately pulling me away from an uncomfortable conversation with Bella. I gave her a grateful smile.

"It's pretty good, actually. Not as bad as I thought it would be." I said.

"Are you getting all caught up in your classes?" Emily questioned. I noticed she had a mothering way about her.

"Yeah, Embry's been helping me with everything," I explained. He was quickly becoming my best friend, "We've been together almost every day, studying everything I need to know. I don't think I could get through it without his help."

"Son of a bitch!" I turned at the sound of Embry's voice. He was laying in the sand, holding a bloody nose. Jacob was looming over him.

"Embry!" I ran to his side and dropped to my knees, completely ignoring Jacob, "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." His voice was muffled as he covered his nose.

"Let me see it," I ignored the heat from his hands as I pried them away from his face. I was shocked to see that his nose was no longer bleeding; there wasn't even a hint of bruising.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

"Did you honestly think a pathetic punch like that could actually hurt me?" He climbed to his feet, pulling me with him.

"He punched you?" I wanted to confront Jacob, but I willed myself not to look at him, "Why?"

"Unnecessary tackle," Embry said quickly, "I took him down when he wasn't looking. He was just getting his rightful pay back. It was no big deal." He must have sensed my apprehension because he added, "Trust me."

"Okay," I said after a minute, "I trust you." Even though I didn't.

He smiled at me.

"Food's ready." Emily yelled louder than I would have expected for her. I was convinced it attempt to distract me for what happened.

I felt like I was suddenly in the middle of a stampede. The guys started running to the picnic table supporting all the food.

"Go sit by the fire, okay?" Embry instructed, "I'll make you a plate."

At first I couldn't understand why I wasn't able to make my own plate but I quickly saw why.

Each one of the guys swarmed the table, punishing and shoving each other to be the first in line.

"It's safer this way," Kim laughed as I joined her on a log, "They're ruthless when it comes to food. They act as if they've never eaten before."

"Are they always like this?" I couldn't take my eyes off them. I was surprised no one had gotten hurt yet.

"They're like this multiple times a day," Kim said, "If Jared didn't get me food, I probably wouldn't get to eat."

I didn't doubt it for a second.

"You dinner, my lady." Embry placed a paper place in front of me.

"Thank you, kind sir." He had gotten me a hamburger, chips, and pasta salad.

Everyone joined us after that—except Jacob and Bella would stayed at the picnic table. It was the first time I had seen Paul, Jared, and Sam since last Friday.

"We're going cliff diving on Sunday, are you in?" Paul asked between stuffing his face with food.

"Cliff diving?" I had never heard of it before.

"See those cliffs over there?" Jared pointed to the edge of the ocean. I could see the cliffs blend into the forest, "We jump of those."

"For fun?" I screeched, my voice an octave higher.

"Of course," Quil laughed, "It's recreational."

"Oh."

"So, are you in?" Paul questioned, this time his mouth was full.

"Um…"

"You don't have to jump," Kim added, "I don't like to, but it's fun to go and hangout with everyone."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll go, but I won't jump." I stated.

"We'll see about that." Paul winked.

We continued to chat as we finished eating. Bella and Jacob eventually joined us again. They sat on the other side of the fire.

"Alright," Sam spoke, rising to his feet, the football in his hand, "Half time is over. I want you back on that field, but, this time, no punching. Got it?"

My eyes flickered to Jacob before I could stop myself. He was glaring daggers at Embry.

"Let's go." Sam commanded and the guys got to their feet.

I laughed as they started trash talking each other. I watched the game briefly but for the most part I just talked with Emily and Kim. Emily told me I was welcome at her house anytime—I learned that that's where most of the guys spent the majority of their free time. Kim offered to help me with my homework if I needed it. I appreciated the offer, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to give up my time with Embry.

It was clear that Emily and Kim thought of me as a friend and I swelled with pride.

Bella didn't say much to us; she spent the entire time keeping her eyes on Jacob. It irritated me. If she had a boyfriend, she didn't need to stare at him.

I should've noticed their facial expressions, but I was too consumed in my own thoughts to realize something was wrong.

When I did finally catch on, it was too late.

Collin's large body collided with mine so fast that I didn't have time to brace myself as I fell off the log I was currently occupying. I hit the sand so hard it knocked the wind out of me. Although that was nothing compared to the searing pain in my forehead when my head hit the log next to me.

I cried out from the impact.

"Scarlette!" I couldn't distinguish whose voice that was.

Collin's weight was crushing me, making it almost impossible to breathe.

"Get the hell off of her!" Someone else unrecognizable screamed.

"Shit! Scarlette, I am so sorry." Collin's voice was frantic. He yanked me off the ground by my arm. The quickness of it caused black spots in my vision. My legs started to give out. Someone—I wasn't sure who—caught me.

"She's bleeding." I already knew that. I could feel the blood on my face.

"Scar? Scar, can you hear me?" If it hadn't been for the nickname I wouldn't have known it was Embry talking to me. He sounded so far away.

"Embry." It came out as a moan.

"I'm right here." There was a tightness around my hand; he was the one holding me.

"Scarlette, I am so—" Collin?

There was a sickening crunch, like the sound of a bone breaking.

"Enough, Jacob." Sam?

Had Jacob punched Collin, too?

I felt someone's hands on my face. They were cold, soothing.

"She doesn't need stitches," It was Aunt Sue, "She just needs to be taken home and cleaned up. She might have a concussion. I need to get her home."

"I can do it." Embry said.

I was relieved, I didn't want him to let go of me.

"No." A sharp voice said, "I'll take her." I couldn't figure out who it was.

Embry growled, "Like hell."

"Embry…" A voice warned. Sam?

"I'm with Embry." Paul?

My vision was blurry, I tried to squint so I could see who was talking but it caused too much pain.

I groaned.

There was a snarl and a yelp.

"Jacob, if you're going to take care of Scarlette, then you need to leave Collin alone." I was positive it was Sam.

Jacob? Taking care of me? I panicked at the thought.

I struggled against Embry's hold.

"No," I cried, "Not Jacob."

Embry held me tighter, "I'm not leaving her with _him_."

I was thankful he was fighting for me.

"I've already told you, she's not _your _concern." I could distinctly make out Jacob's voice now.

"She doesn't trust you." Embry snarled, "She has no reason to."

"I'm not going to hurt her," Jacob growled at him, "I need to make sure she's okay."

Since when did he care if I was okay?

"Because you care about her or because of the damn—"

"Give her to Jacob." Sam demanded.

I struggled against Embry.

"It might just be me, but it clearly looks like she doesn't want Jacob." Was that Jared?

"_Now_, Embry." Sam barked.

"I am so sorry, Scar." Embry whispered in my ear, "I'll come see you as soon as you can. You're gonna be okay."

"Bandage her head, give her two Tylenol, plenty of water, and put her in her bed," Aunt Sue instructed, "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yes." His tone was aggressive.

She didn't say anything else. He started walking away from everyone.

"Jacob." A timid voice called out.

"Go home, Bella, I'll stop by later if I can." He started walking.

"But—"

"Please, Bella, just go."

"Be careful with her!" Seth called out, "She better be okay when I get home!"

He ignored Seth's comment and kept walking. It dawned on me that he planned on walking with me in his arms all the way to the house.

"You can sleep if you want," When I finally looked at him, he had a worried expression on his face, "I've got you now."

I didn't have the energy to argue.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing my story! It means so much to me that you all like it! If there are any questions or suggestions that you have, please let me know!

Also, I am in the process of potentially looking for a beta, if you or anyone you know is interested, please message me!

And just for a little clarification, Bella does not know Jacob has imprinted yet!

I hope you enjoy the chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to post another one this weekend!

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache. I could vaguely remember the details of the night before but they were a little fuzzy, images blurring together. I would have to find out for someone else what had actually happened.

I pried myself out of bed and managed to stumble my way into the kitchen, a desperate need for water clouding my head. I had to brace myself against the wall so that I wouldn't lose my balance.

Leah was sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels on the TV, her infamous scowl plastered on her face.

"You look terrible." She barely glanced in my direction.

I wasn't in the mood to deal with her attitude, but I didn't have the self-control to keep my mouth shut.

"Well, thank you, that's so nice of you to say," My voice dripped with sarcasm, "No wonder there's a line of guys out in the yard waiting to take you on a date. It must be those kind compliments you just love giving out."

She flinched at my words. I should've felt bad but I didn't. As childish as it sounded, she had started it. She shouldn't dish it out if she couldn't take it in.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." She snapped.

"You would recognize it better than anyone. It seems to be the only side of the bed you ever wake up on." I couldn't take her snide comments anymore. I was sick of it, not once had she tried being nice to me since I had arrived.

She got to her feet and, for a brief moment, I thought she was going to come at me, but she just glared.

"What is your problem?" She demanded.

"What is _your _problem?" I fired back, "You are never anything but rude to people_._ I don't understand it. Is it physically impossible for you to be nice?"

My head was throbbing and the room was spinning, but there wasn't anything that could make me miss the hurt expression that plagued Leah's face.

"You have no idea what my life has been like these last couple of years." Her voice was venom. What ever happened to her bothered her every of the second of the day. I could see that now.

"No, I don't, and I probably never will. But, whatever happened, it wasn't because of me, so occasionally you can try being nice." I said, standing my ground.

My words actually seemed to resonate with her.

"You should take some Ibuprofen," She said, "You have a pretty nasty bump on your head and it will help with the swelling. You should use some ice, too."

Instinctively, I touched my injury. I flinched from the pain, but I was surprised to feel a bandage on it. I couldn't remember anyone putting it on.

"Thank you," I smiled at her, and she tried to smile back, "Do you know what happened last night?"

I started searching through the kitchen cabinets for any type of medicine as she told me what happened.

"The guys were playing football and, of course, being idiots. Brady was messing around and purposely threw Collin a shitty pass. Collin tried to catch it, but he ended up running into you instead. He knocked you to the ground and fell on top of you, and you ended up splitting your head open on one of the logs by the fire. You have some other cuts and bruises but nothing as bad as your head. Mom said you didn't need stitches but you probably have a mild concussion, so Jacob brought you back here and bandaged you up."

"What?" I spun around, which caused me to get dizzy. Leah was at my side, steadying me, "_Jacob_ brought me home."

She nodded, "Embry offered, but he wouldn't let anyone take you. He practically stayed here all night, too. Sam had to come drag him out of here around two in the morning." She said Sam's name with disgust; I wanted to ask why but now wasn't the time.

"Why?"

"I don't know, he was worried about you, I guess. It's not like we talked about it. He was in your room the whole time."

My head was spinning but, this time, it wasn't from pain. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that Jacob had taken me home. That Jacob had taken care of me. That he had stayed in my room. That he had been worried about me. My brain just couldn't process it.

I shook my head, "Are you sure it was Jacob? Maybe it was one of the other guys, they all look really alike, you know."

"Yes, I am sure it was Jacob. I have known these guys my whole life, I'm pretty sure I know who's who by now." She gave me a pointed look.

"Right, sorry," I muttered, "I just don't understand."

She shrugged. I could tell she really didn't care, "I have to go, are you gonna be alright here by yourself? Mom's at the diner if you need her, and Seth should be home in a couple hours."

"I'll be fine."

"Good. Try to get some rest, you shouldn't be moving around too much today."

"Thanks."

She walked out the back door after that and I went back to searching for some medicine.

The events of last night were starting to become clearer. Now, I could remember Collin running into me, I could remember Embry holding me and offering to take me home, and, vaguely, I could remember Sam forcing Embry to give me to Jacob.

Why? I still couldn't figure it out. It was impossible that Jacob was worried about me; I didn't exist to him, I was nothing but a person taking up space within his groups of friends.

Thinking about himmade my head hurt more, but I couldn't get him off my mind.

I realized that I almost…liked that he was worried about me. The more I thought about it, the more I didn't mind that he was the one who had taken care of me. It was nice, actually; he had been calm and gentle, touching me like I was piece of glass that might crack underneath his touch. Not at all what I was used to from him, but I liked it. Maybe—the thought crept into my brain before I could stop it—he was starting to like me, maybe we could end up being…

"No." I shook my head, in attempt to get rid of those thoughts, mumbling to myself, "He doesn't _like _you, he wants to pretend you don't exist. You're _nothing _to him."

I took some painkillers that I had finally found and drowned them with some water.

I walked into the living room and laid down on the couch, the remote already in my hand.

I couldn't believe I let myself think those things; I couldn't believe that I let myself think Jacob Black could be nice.

He was a jerk, I reminded myself, he had been a jerk since the moment we met.

So, why couldn't I get him out of my head?

I didn't want to think about him. I didn't want to think about the way he looked with his shirt off or the way his arms felt when he carried me all the way home, but I couldn't stop it.

The thoughts were flooding in, and they were flooding in fast. It was like a domino effect; once it started, it wasn't going to stop.

"What is wrong with me?" I groaned. This is couldn't be happening, this _shouldn't _be happening.

There was a knock at the door, I was too upset to bother getting up, "Come in."

"Ow! Stop! I told you I'd apologize!" I could hear Collin's voice before he entered the house, "Let go of me!"

There was clearly a struggle going on beyond the threshold of the front door.

Then, the door was thrown open and in walked Jacob dragging Collin by his upper arm behind him. Collin actually looked like he was in pain.

I was on my feet in a second, "Jacob? What the hell! Let go of him!" The pain in my head caught up with me and I had to sit back down.

Jacob threw Collin forward; he stumbled but regained his balance before he fell. He straightened up and threw a glare at Jacob.

"Start talking." Jacob commanded.

I was surprised when Collin listened and focused his attention on me, "How are you feeling?"

"Like someone ran into me and I hit my head." I joked.

Collin looked ashamed, "I am so sorry about what happened. Brady threw the ball like an idiot and I thought I could be a badass and catch it. I was paying attention—I know I should've been—but I didn't see you until it was too late. I'm really, really sorry."

It was easy to see that Collin hadn't gotten that much sleep the night before. His expression was guilty, apologetic, worried—although I wasn't sure if the last one was because Jacob was standing over him in a threatening way. I tried to act as if he wasn't there.

"Hey, it was an accident," I said. I wasn't mad at him. I knew he didn't do it on purpose, so there was no point in trying to be angry. At this moment, it took too much energy, "Please, don't worry about it."

He let out a sigh of relief, "Really?"

I nodded, "Of course, it's not like you did it on purpose."

"Thank you!" He launched himself at me, engulfing me in a hug. He trapped my arms at my side so I couldn't move, "Thank you so much."

"That's enough." Jacob snapped and Collin released me, "Leave."

"I'm glad you're okay, Scarlette. If you need anything, don't hesitate to call." He said.

"Thank you." He was gone before I finished speaking.

An awkward silence hung in the room after Collin left. I didn't want to speak to Jacob.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. I wasn't looking at him; I refused to look anywhere near him, "Scarlette." I didn't answer, "Scarlette." He moved so he was in my line of my vision but I moved my head again, "You're gonna have to talk to me at some point, you know. I won't leave until you do."

We didn't speak for ten minutes. Not once did he even budge.

"Why are you here?" I eventually asked, still not looking at him.

"I came to see if you were okay," He replied, "And to make sure that Collin apologized."

"He apologized and I'm fine. You can go now." I snapped.

Instead of leaving he sat down on the opposite end of the couch. I groaned.

"Are you ever going to look at me?" he questioned.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm doing what you asked," I spat. I accidentally let the pain he caused me seep into my voice, "I'm pretending you don't exist. It would be easier to do if you left my house."

"Do you want me to leave?"

I didn't have an answer. My head was screaming at me to say yes but when I tried, no sounds came out. In the end, I settled for, "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Pretending to be nice to me."

"I'm not pretending."

I snapped, then. Everything that I had been through this week because of him bubbled to the surface. Anger clouded my better judgment.

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

"What are you talking about?" He genuinely seemed oblivious. That only infuriated me more.

Finally, I faced him, "You! This! The way you're acting right now! What the hell?"

"I don't understand."

I let out a frustrated groan, "Are you really that thick? I met you a week ago and the first thing you did was scream at me that I had ruined everything—although to this day I have no idea what everything is, so I don't really understand how I could have possibly ruined it. At school on Monday, I made a comment about your precious, little Bella and you _threw _me against the lockers, which I still have the bruises from, and then you come over and tell me that there is no way we could ever have the chance of being friends and that we're better off pretending we don't exist," I paused to take a break, "And then, this morning I find out that _you _were the one who brought me home last night and took care of my head. And now you're here demanding that Collin apologize and you're checking to see if I'm okay. So, again, I repeat, what the hell?"

Yelling at him must have spiked his anger because all of a sudden, Jacob was on his feet with me, "Do you think this is easy for me? I didn't _want_ this to happen, least of all with _you_! Yes, I thought it would make things easier if I pretended that you didn't exist, but I was wrong, okay? Seeing you get hurt yesterday made me realize that I can't ignore you, that I don't _want _to ignore you. So, I came over here today to see if you were okay and maybe just spend some time with you. I think we can be friends, I want us to be friends." His voice was softer when he finished speaking.

When he was finished ranting, my mouth was hanging open. I hadn't anticipated anything that he said. 'It took me a few seconds to gather my thoughts.

"Get out." I narrowed my eyes at him.

He looked shocked, like he thought I would naturally just agree with anything he wanted, "What?"

"Get. Out."

"Why?"

"You can't waltz in here and assume we can friends because you've suddenly decided that's that what you want." I stated.

"Listen, I'm sorry for everything I've done this past week. I know I wasn't fair to you, but I'm trying to make it right." I could tell he was getting frustrated.

That shitty excuse for an apology only pissed me off more.

"You just don't get it, do you?" I cried, "Not everything gets to be on your terms! You don't get to decide when and if we're gonna be friends because it finally suits you. I'm a person, in case you haven't noticed. I have actual thoughts and feelings and I'm sick of you acting like they don't matter. You obviously don't know the meaning of a friend if you don't see the problem in the way you've been treating me, Jacob. So, no, we can't be friends. I really just want you to leave me alone."

He was shaking again. Something I was starting to piece together that he did when he was angry.

"Is this because of Embry?" He growled.

"Excuse me?"

"Is this because of Embry?" He repeated.

"Why would this have anything to do with him?"

"You've been spending all your free time with him."

"Because _he_ knows how to be a friend, and he's been helping me make sure I get all caught up in my school work."

"Do you want to date him?" He looked pained to actually say those words out loud.

"What?"

"Do you want to be with him as more than a friend?"

"That isn't any of your business."

He started shaking more. I took a step back.

"So, you do?" He snarled, "I'm going to kill him."

"Why do you care if I want to date Embry or not?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest.

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I do."

"Why do you?"

"Because, dammit, you're _mine_."

We both froze at his words. His shaking had completely ceased and for a moment I wasn't even sure he was breathing. It took me a minute to gather my thoughts.

"Excuse me?" My brain couldn't process more than that.

"I…" He stumbled over his words, "I…just forget I said anything. I have to go."

He rushed to the door.

"Wait a minute," I demanded. He stopped moving, "Tell me."

"No."

"Yes."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't, yet, okay? And if you don't want to be my friend then it doesn't even matter anyway."

I took a few seconds to choose my words carefully.

"So, if I become your friend then you'll tell me what you meant?" I shouldn't have asked him that. I shouldn't have even thought that but my curiosity got the better of me. I _had _to know what he was talking about.

"Eventually." He said, "Depending on things go."

It was a snap decision, one that I would probably later regret.

"You have a hell of a lot of making up to do." I said. I had demands, I wasn't going to just give in, "You've been a really ass this week and I'm not going to just let that go."

"I didn't think you would."

"And I deserve a damn good apology."

He was going to have to work for this.

"Of course." He agreed.

"And you promise you'll tell me what you meant by that little comment?"

I was going to get the answers I was looking for one way or another.

"As soon as the time is right, I promise."

"This isn't going to be easy for you, you know."

"I can't handle it."

"Then, fine," I made my decision, no matter how wrong I knew I probably was. There was just something about him, "I'll be your friend."

His face actually seemed to brighten up when I said that. He smiled, an actual, genuine smile that I had never seen before. It was nice, almost like he should be smiling like that all the time. I smiled in spite of myself.

"Really?" He questioned.

"Were you really gonna leave me alone if I had said no?"

"Probably not."

"Then I guess I have no choice. Once again."

His smile didn't falter.

"Thank you."

"I won't, I swear."

Suddenly, there was a howl outside. I jumped.

"You don't need to be afraid, the wolves won't hurt you."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just know."

"There's a lot you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Maybe. I have to go now, though. Do me a favor, will you?"

"Depends on the favor."

"Stay inside today. I'll come check on you again tomorrow."

"I'm going cliff diving with everyone."

He looked like he wanted to argue that but another howl pierced the air.

"We'll talk tomorrow."

He opened the door and was about to leave.

"Hey, Jacob?"

He paused, "Yeah?"

I don't know why but I felt the need to tell him, "Embry is only a friend."

He didn't say anything but I could sense his relief. He was gone after that.

I wasn't sure that I had made the right decision in agreeing to be Jacob's friend; after everything he had put me through it seemed like a terrible idea. I couldn't understand why his feelings had changed so suddenly, why he wanted to be my friend now.

It was a bad idea. I knew that.

But what I really couldn't understand was why it didn't feel that way.


	6. Chapter 6

It took most of the morning but I finally convinced Aunt Sue to let me go to the cliffs with everyone today. Although she made me promise that I would stay with Seth or Embry at all times, I would drink plenty of water, I would sit down if my head started to hurt, and, above all else, I had to promise that I would not even attempt to cliff dive. She didn't have to worry about that though, I had no interest in hurdling my body off the edge of a cliff.

I was sitting on the couch when a car horn blared outside.

I rose to my feet quickly, "That's Embry and Paul."

Aunt Sue walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, "Yes. I feel a lot better than I did yesterday."

She looked like she wanted to argue but Embry came barreling through the door, "Hey, Scarlette, how are you feeling?"

"Good as new!" I gave him my cheekiest grin.

Carefully, he brushed a few of his fingers across my bandaged head.

"If you start feeling sick, tell me right away and I'll take you home, okay?" He demanded. I could see the worry in his eyes.

I wanted to roll my eyes again.

"I promise. Let's just go and have fun today."

It took a minute but he finally smiled and slung his arm around my shoulders.

"Don't worry, Sue, I won't bring her back with anymore injuries." He winked at me.

"You better not. Seth will be there as soon as he finishes his shift. Please, be careful." She said.

"I will. I'll see you tonight." I called as I pushed Embry out of the house, "You saved me!" I cried as we trampled down the porch steps.

"Yeah, I'm sure having people wait on your hand and foot the past 24 hours must have been terrible." Embry joked.

"I couldn't leave! You have no idea how hard it is to stay put especially when everyone else is coming and going as much as they please!"

Embry helped me into Paul's truck and I was wedged between him and Paul.

"Well, not everyone ended up with a concussion." Paul greeted me.

"Minor, okay? Minor concussion. Besides that wasn't my fault, I got tackled when I wasn't paying attention!"

Paul pulled out of the drive way and started towards the cliff as the three of us continued to banter.

We pulled up the bottom of the cliffs and I stared up at them suddenly nervous.

"You guys really do this for fun?"

"It's not as dangerous as it looks, besides we've been doing it our whole lives. We know what we're doing." Embry said.

"You should try it," Paul said as he helped me out of the truck, "It's such a rush."

"I'm good," I told him, "I enjoy living too much."

"We wouldn't let anything happen to you. We wouldn't let you jump if we weren't a hundred sure that you would be safe." He responded.

I smiled, it was nice to know they cared so much.

"Are we going to climb all the way up there?" I inadvertently groaned. I didn't want to admit it but my head was still throbbing slightly and I didn't know if I could walk that far without getting dizzy.

Without saying anything, Embry scooped me into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I demanded.

"It's a long walk and I know your head is bothering you, even if you're not going to admit it," Embry said. I knew there was no point in trying to argue but I still struggled against his hold, "Just relax, okay?"

Paul managed to carry all the stuff he had stored in the truck. He was carrying three coolers and some beach towels. It looked heavy but he carried everything with ease.

"What is all that?" I questioned.

We started walking up the cliff. I didn't want to admit it but I was comfortable in Embry's embrace. I finally relaxed and let him carry me.

"Food." Paul said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's all food?" I gaped, "Did you bring all three of today's meals with you?"

"Please," He scoffed, "Don't insult me. This is just a snack."

I knew they are a lot of food, I had seen Emily and Aunt Sue make it all but it was still hard to fathom sometimes that the boys were never full.

"I don't understand where you put it all." I grumbled.

They laughed when I frowned.

"We're running around a lot," Embry said, "We burn it off very quickly."

The walk to the top of the cliff didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. We talked mindlessly until Paul's face turned dark and he let out a low hiss.

"You have got to be kidding me," Paul growled, "He broughther _again_?"

That's how I knew we were close.

"Paul…" Embry warned. I noticed Paul start to shake slightly, "Relax. Scarlette is here."

That seemed to do the trick because Paul slowly started to calm himself down.

"What's wrong?" I whispered to Embry.

"We have an unwanted visitor with us today." He said in the nicest way he could.

"Who?" I questioned, "How do you know?"

"I could sm—" Paul started.

"See." Embry cut him off, "We can _see _them through the trees. Can't you?"

I squinted but I couldn't make out anything past the trees.

"I can't see anything." I said.

"You might want to get your eyes checked then." Embry joked.

I didn't say anything after that. It only took another minute or so for us to finally reach everyone.

Suddenly, the trees were behind us and we were in a big open space. Rocks of different sizes were scattered around us and some of the guys were using them as seats. Sam and Emily, Jared and Kim, Quil, Brady, and Collin were all here. Quil, Brady, and Collin were throwing a football around and I moved closer to Embry, flashes of Friday night crossing my mind.

Then, I saw who Paul and Embry were talking about. The unwanted visitor.

Jacob brought Bella.

As soon as Jacob saw us, he was rushing over to us, a worried expression plastered to his face.

"What happened to her?" He snarled at Embry, "Scarlette, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"She's fine," Embry snapped, stepping back a little, "I carried her to make sure she didn't get dizzy and pass out."

"I'll take her." Jacob said, and before I could argue, he ripped me from Embry's arms.

"Hey!" I cried. The jostled movement caused a sharp pain in my head, "Put me down!"

He didn't seem to want to, but he gently lowered me to the ground, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I snapped, "Stop asking now, will you?"

"Sorry." He grumbled.

The pain expressed on his face made me softened up a bit.

"Just be careful, please, my head still hurts a little." I tried to smile.

"I will. Do you want to sit down for a little while?"

"Sure." I nodded. He took my wrist and led me to a rock Bella was sitting on.

I didn't know why I didn't like the girl, but there was something about her that rubbed me the wrong way.

"Hey, Bella." I mumbled when I sat down next to Jacob. He was sitting in the middle of us.

"Hi, Scarlette, how are you feeling?" She asked politely.

"I'm okay, thank you." I turned my head away from her so she wouldn't say anything else to me.

I jumped, slightly frightened, as I watched Paul run at lightning speed towards the edge of the cliff. At the last possible second, he launched himself into the air and did a flip I had only ever seen gymnasts do. I listened to his cheers until I heard his body smack against the water. I cringed.

"I promise you, he's okay," Embry said as he sat down next to me.

I watched as one-by-one Quil, Brady, Collin, Jared, and Sam threw themselves off the cliffs, each one of them a different type of stunt.

"Aren't you going to jump?" I asked Embry as the guys made their way back to the top of the cliff.

"Well, Seth isn't here yet and I don't want you to sit here by yourself." He said.

"I'll be okay, Embry, I promise I won't move a muscle." I laughed, "Go have fun!"

"I am having fun, I'm with my best friend." He threw his arm back over my shoulder, something I was becoming very used to.

Suddenly, Jacob was on his feet, snarling at Embry. His face was furious, his teeth were bared.

"Stop touching her." He spat at Embry.

Embry was on his feet, then, standing in front of me protectively.

"Jake, relax." I noticed Jacob was shaking.

"She is not yours to touch," Jacob cried, "Put your arm around her again and I'll break it in so many pieces, it'll never be able to heal properly."

They were both snarling at each other, and without thinking, I stood up and forced myself between them. I heard Emily and Kim let out a terrified gasp.

"Sam," Emily called in a normal voice that I didn't know how she expected him to hear her, "Hurry."

"Jacob, please, calm down," I looked up at him, but he was still glaring at Embry. His body was starting to shake so violently, I was almost afraid he was going to have a seizure.

"Scarlette, get out of the way." Embry said. He reached out to move me but Jacob's hand flew past my head, snatching Embry's wrist.

"What did I just say?" He said through his teeth.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the rest of the guys near the tree line. They stopped when they saw me between Embry and Jacob. Only Sam moved.

"Jacob, I need you to back away from Scarlette slowly." Sam demanded.

"No." He growled.

I was starting to panic slightly; Jacob only seemed to be getting angrier.

"Jacob, please." I put my hands on his chest. It was probably a bad idea, he would probably get mad at me later for touching him, but I read somewhere that another person's touch could calm someone down.

And right now, it seemed to be working. I could feel his chest relax a little bit and his eyes finally met mine.

"Please, calm down." I whispered. Gently, he reached up to lay his hand on my cheek. I froze under his touch; partially because I was afraid if I moved he would get angry and because I liked the feel of his touch. His head was scalding but it was comforting.

It took a few minutes but his shaking finally stopped.

"Are you okay?" I questioned.

"I think so." Jacob said, "I don't like Embry touching you." His fierce eyes were back on Embry.

"He's my best friend, Jacob." I said, "Why do you care so much?"

"I just do." He snapped, his angry eyes on me.

"Well, without an actual reason as to why you don't think like, your opinion really doesn't matter." I folded my arms across my chest.

He looked pissed off again and I was positive that he was going to yell at me, but, instead, he turned and walked back over to Bella. He slipped his arm around her shoulder, and an unexpected wave of jealousy washed over me.

"Are you okay?" Embry asked.

I turned to face him and my head started to spin. The adrenaline for the previous moments had worn off. I started to sway.

"Scarlette." Seth was suddenly at my side, steading me. I hadn't seen him get here.

"I'm okay." I said, knowing what he was going to ask next, "I just need to sit for a minute."

I half expected Jacob to rush to my side again, but when I looked over at him, he was laughing with Bella. It stung a little.

Seth helped me sit down and Embry appeared in front of me with a bottle of water. The rest of the guys finally made their way back over to us.

"You hangin' in there, Scar?" Paul asked. He was the first person, apart from Embry to call me Scar.

"I'm surviving." I tried to laugh, but I found myself looking back over at Jacob and Bella. They seemed to be oblivious to what was going on around them.

I was quiet for a few minutes trying to get myself together.

"Alright," Quil called out, grabbing everyone's attention, "Who's up for a little competition?"

"What did you have in mind?" Brady asked.

"Anyone who wants to cliff dive coughs up five bucks and then we jump, doing on own signature move," Quil explained, "Whoever has the best move wins the money."

"Who's going to determine the winner?" Sam questioned.

"Hmm," Quil put his finger on his chin like he was thinking deeply, "Emily and Kim are biased because of Sam and Jared. So, I guess that leaves Scarlette, if you're up for it?"

"Of course," I said, I rose to my feet, Embry and Seth moving with me, "I'd be honored to watch all of you plummet towards your death."

"Great!" He winked at me, "Who's in?"

All the guys agreed to jump except Jacob.

"What about Bella?" He asked.

Quil shrugged, "Sure, she can jump to if she wants?"

"No," Jacob shoot his head, "You didn't ask if she wanted to judge."

Quil's face blanked, "Oh…well…we only needed one person to judge and Scarlette has never seen us cliff dive before."

"Neither has Bella."

"No, but she did throw herself off these cliffs before." Paul didn't hind his dislike for the girl.

"Watch it." Jacob warned.

"Scarlette's family," Jared interjected, "We're just trying to make her feel welcomed."

"So, because Bella's not family, she's not welcomed?"

"That's not what we're saying, Jacob," Sam spoke, "It's just a harmless game, stop making a big deal of it."

"I'll stop making a big deal out of it when the rest of you can treat Bella that a human being." Jacob snapped.

"Cause she's gonna be for so much longer." Paul spoke again.

Bella's face contorted in pain and I knew that comment hurt. I almost felt bad for the way Paul was picking on her. _Almost_.

Jacob was on his feet and I thought he was going to attack Paul. However, he grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"We're leaving." He stated.

"Come on, Jake, don't be like that." Collin groaned.

"Bella, why don't you go on ahead, I'll catch up." Jacob instructed. She looked like she wanted to argue but she didn't say anything. I realized I hadn't heard her say anything the entire time she was here. I watched her backside until she disappeared into the trees.

Jacob's voice was menacing, "You all know how I feel about her. I _love _her, why can't you just accept that?"

"You know why we can't accept her into the tribe, Jacob." Sam said, "She made her decision and we made ours. You have to live with that."

"Well, if you won't accept her, you can't accept me." He sneered and then, he stormed away.

The guys tried calling after him but he never turned around. He didn't even say goodbye.

"You alright?" Seth asked.

"Of course, let's start this competition, shall we?" I tried to shake the sudden sadness I was feeling.

Slowly, one-by-one, the guys started doing tricks off the cliffs. Emily and Kim came and sat next to me to make sure I would be okay.

I watched everyone jump but I wasn't really paying attention. Tears strung my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall.

_He loved her_. I couldn't stop repeating that in my head.

I was foolish to think that he would ever want to be more than my friend. Hell, he had yet to last one whole day being nice to me.

It was like he had a split personality: there was one Jacob who wanted to be around me and another Jacob who couldn't stand me. Right now, I couldn't figure out which was worse.

"Scarlette!" I was pulled out of my thoughts.

All of the guys were in front of me soaking wet.

"What?" I asked.

"You have to pick a winner." Quil said, impatiently.

"Oh," That was the last thing on my mind, "Umm…Paul, I guess."

Paul started cheering while the rest of the guys groaned, but I wasn't listening. All I kept thinking about was: which Jacob would eventually win out?


	7. Chapter 7

I am so sorry that it took me nearly two months to update my story! But I really appreciate that you guys kept favoriting, following, and reviewing! It means a lot to know that you guys like my writing! I am also glad that the people who did review were giving me suggestions on what they wanted to see! So, because you guys asked for it, I wrote this chapter in Jacob's point of view! Now, I don't know how many more chapters I will have in Jacob's point of view because I really want my story to focus more on Scarlette, but if there is anything you guys want to see, please let me know! I am willing to take any suggestions into consideration! So, without further ado, here is Chapter 7! Please, please, please review and keep the suggestions coming! And I promise Chapter 8 won't take me nearly as long to post!

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I was running…again. It was the only thing that distracted me; if I was still for too long, _she _would force her way back into my mind.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. When I didn't imprint on Bella, I assumed I wasn't going to at all.

Fate was _wrong_, it had to be. Bella was the one for me. Besides, I never _wanted _to imprint. I wanted to choose who I would end up with; I didn't want my fate in the hands of some fragile human who didn't know me, even if she was Seth's cousin.

But, I couldn't deny the connection I felt to Scarlette. I tried to, though, I tried to pretend she didn't exist. But the pain—the constant, aching pain—of not being around her became too much. I caved become her friend. I wanted to say that I was doing it for her, but, the truth was, it was purely selfish; I had to be around her.

I was fighting the imprint, but I was losing terribly.

Watching Collin collide with Scarlette at a speed that was too much for her small frame to handle was the most terrifying moment of my life.

She was hurt and it sent a wave of pain through my body. My instincts took over and I was attacking the thing that hurt my imprint. It took two days for Collin's nose to set right.

Sam had to pull me away from Collin to remind me that Scarlette needed me. Panic set in at that moment. How badly was she hurt? Was she going to be okay?

I punched Collin again to keep from screaming.

It was when I saw Embry holding Scarlette that I nearly phased. She was _mine_, there was no reason that he had to be holding her like that. He had his arms wrapped around her in a way that made a ripple run down my spine. No one but me should ever have their arms around her.

A snarl ripped through my teeth when Embry refused to give her to me. Even Paul, the annoying bastard, had tried to keep me away from her. If it hadn't been for Sam, I probably would've phased and tried to attack them all.

That was what the imprint did to me. It made me want to attack my friends, it made me punch my cousin. I wanted to be angry at Scarlette, blame her for the reason I was doing all of those things but I couldn't. Because I would hurt anyone, _kill _anyone if it meant Scarlette was safe. I would spend the rest of my life keeping her safe.

All of a sudden, I could feel a shift in my thoughts and I knew I was no longer alone.

_Hey, Jake. _It was Quil.

_What's up?_

_ Thinking about Scarlette, again?_

I tried to come up with an excuse as to why I was running myself all over La Push but it was no use. Even if Quil couldn't hear all my thoughts, he was my best friend and he could read me like an open book.

_Does it ever stop? _I finally asked.

_The constantly worrying about her or the constantly thinking about her?_

_ Both._

Quil thought for a moment before speaking. _Not really, no. But, as messed up as it sounds, at some point, you'll…enjoy it. You'll be worrying about her all day and when you finally see her and you know for sure that nothing has happened to her, you'll feel happy and…peaceful. There's nothing in the world that can bring you greater happiness than knowing that she's safe. And as for thinking about her all day, well, it'll drive the other guys insane—especially Seth, considering she's his cousin—but, is there really anything else that you'd want to be thinking about more than her?_

Before I could stop myself, I let the thought slip and Quil groaned.

_Really, Jake? Ugh, aren't you over her yet? I don't know what else can convince you that you two aren't meant to be together. Whether you like it or not, she's marrying Edward and she's wants to become a vampire. _I broke his thoughts with a snarl and he growled back at me. _And you imprinted on Scarlette. She's the one you're meant to be with._

_ I don't know how to just stop loving her, Quil. It's not that simple._

Quil thought for a moment. _So, maybe you don't stop loving her. Maybe, you work on loving someone else more. You should go see Scarlette today, she thinks you hate her again._

_ What? _I stopped running.

Quil showed me his thoughts. It was clear that images that been passed along from Seth. He was sitting in her bedroom and she was tearing up a little. She was asking Seth what she had done wrong, asking him why I was treating her this way. She questioned if it would be better if she just went back home.

I stopped breathing at the last comment she made. She couldn't leave. She couldn't be that far away from me. I needed her here.

_So, go tell her that._ Quil broke through my panic.

He didn't need to tell me twice; I knew what I had to do.

Without saying anything to him, I spun around and began running in the direction of the Clearwater's house. I ran until I was close enough to phase. Without breaking stride, I pulled on my shorts, ran up the porch steps, and knocked on the door.

Leah answered and her face darkened at the sight of me, "If you're here to cause Scarlette more pain, I suggest you leave."

I pushed past her and into the house, "Is she in her room?" I didn't wait for an answer, I just moved through the hallway and into her bedroom.

She jumped when I swung the door open. She was laying on her bed reading. The book went flying and I caught it with ease.

"Holy crap, Jacob! You scared the hell outta me!" She moved so she was in a sitting position, "What are you doing here?"

"I don't hate you!" I mentally cursed myself for practically screaming at her. I wanted to do this in a calm manner, but I could never stay calm around Scarlette. She made everything feel so much more intensified.

"What? How did you—_Seth!_" She hissed the last part.

"Please, don't think I hate you," I moved closer to her and she seemed surprised, "I know that I haven't been that great to you—in fact, I've been downright awful at some moments, but it has never been and will never be because I hate you. It's almost the opposite. I…I care about you, a lot."

Her eyes widened, "You do?"

I smiled at her. She looked so innocent in that moment, like no other guy had ever said that to her before.

"Yes." I was sitting on her bed now and she didn't move away from me, "More than I wanted to admit before."

"How come?" She was looking for answers again and I knew I had to be honest with her.

"Until you came along, I was in love with Bella." I didn't miss the look of jealousy and pain flash across her face as I spoke those words.

"But, you're not anymore?" She asked.

I took a deep breath. This was the hard part, "I think there is going to be a part of me will always love Bella. She's my best friend and the first girl I have ever really loved."

"Oh." Her voice was small, like a child's, and she didn't meet my gaze.

I delicately moved my hand under her chin and lifted up her face, "I haven't been treating you fairly, and I'm sorry—so sorry about that. I always thought I was gonna end up with Bella one day and it scared the hell outta me to realize that I could feel something like this for someone other than her. So, that's why I pushed you away. But, trust me when I say, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. Even when I'm with Bella, you're all I think about. So, even if you never want to speak to me again, please, _please_, don't think I hate you and please don't leave La Push."

For a few seconds, she didn't say anything and I was worried that I had terrified her. But when she finally moved, she removed my hand from her chin and held it in her lap. Again, her gazed dropped.

"I like you, Jacob. I don't know what it is about you, but even after everything you've done, I can't get you out of my head either. I can't deny how happy I am that you're falling out of love with Bella, but I can't help feeling like I'm second best."

My heart broke. I was so torn; I couldn't stop loving Bella no matter how hard I tried, but I couldn't deny my feelings for Scarlette anymore.

"You're not. Bella's my best friend but you're the girl I want—" Before I could finish my sentence, the door swung open again and Seth came bustling through.

"Seth!" I was on my feet in an instant. He didn't have to say anything for me to know that something was wrong, "What's going on?"

"It's Bella and the Cullen's." He spoke quickly and breathlessly, "They need our help."

I looked at Scarlette; she still wasn't looking at me, but I could see the pain she was feeling.

"I can't," I said. I smiled when Scarlette's head popped up. This time, I needed to be with her.

"Jake," Seth's voice was desperate.

I turned back to him, "Seth, you're just going to have to tell them—"

"It's the redhead."

It took all of myself control not to phase in Scarlette's bedroom.

"What?" I suppressed a snarl.

"She's close."

I felt the familiar ripple. I wanted to phase right here, right now and hunt down the bloodsucker and tear her to pieces. I wanted to watch her burn. She was close—_too damn close—_to Scarlette and Bella.

I turned back to the small, fragile girl looking confused on her bed.

"Scarlette." She knew what was coming next.

"Go," She urged. I figured it was so she could get away from me, "I'm used to being second best."

"It's not—"

"Jake, we need to leave…_now._" Seth pleaded.

"Stay inside, _please_. I'll be back tonight and we can talk some more, I promise." Quickly, I bent down and placed a rushed kiss on her forehead. I wanted her to understand that I wasn't just doing this for Bella, I was doing this for her too. I was doing this to keep her safe.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered.

With one final look, I tried to show her that I wasn't trying to hurt her. After that, I turned on my heel and ran after Seth.

She never turned to look at me.

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As always, please review! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Thank to everyone who is reading my story! Keep the reviews coming so I know what you guys are thinking! I hope you like the chapter!

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I sat there, dumbfounded, watching Jacob and Seth leave.

I wanted to say something to him as he disappeared down the hall. I wanted to tell him that this was exactly what I was talking about earlier. This was the same thing that happens almost every time we are together.

I shouldn't have been surprised. No matter how hard he claimed to be trying, Jacob knew just how to mess everything up again.

He would always going running when Bella came calling.

It seemed that no matter what I did, I was always going to come in second place compared to her. Sure, he claimed he liked me, but he _loved _her and I would never be able to compete with that.

_You should just cut your losses now._ I kept telling myself. It seemed that the more I admitted my feelings for Jacob, the more complicated and painful everything seemed to get it.

But, as much as I tried to deny it, I was in too deep now. I cared for Jacob a lot more than I wanted to admit and that wasn't going to just disappear.

I tried calling Embry—he was the only person who could make me feel better in this situation—but his phone went straight to voicemail.

I was desperate enough that I went to look for Leah, just so I wouldn't have to be alone, but she had taken off too.

Sighing, I returned to my room and picked my book up again. I tried to focus on reading the cheesy, romantic novel—I don't know why I actually read these books, love never turns out that way—until I eventually fell asleep.

XXX

_"Scarlette!_" The harsh whisper pulled me out of my dreamless sleep, "_Scarlette!_

I opened one eye to see Seth's face centimeters from mine. He eyes were wide almost like he was surprised that I was actually awake.

"_What?_" My voice was bitter, angry, that I had been woken up.

"I need you to come with me." He said, his voice now a normal volume, "It's important."

"What could be so important at…_four thirty? You woke me up at four thirty in the morning?"_ I half screeched the last part. I was very much a person who enjoyed sleeping; it was hard for me to wake up earlier than necessary.

"Please, Scarlette." He didn't have to say anything else, I could tell by the tone in his voice that whatever it was that was so important, it was big. Big enough for him to be completely serious, which rarely ever happened. The last time I had heard him so serious was when he called to tell me that Uncle Harry had passed away.

Wordlessly, I climbed out of bed. He seemed relieved that I didn't argue or question him. I moved to grab a pair of shoes.

"Do I need to get dressed?" I was wearing an old t-shirt and shorts.

"No, we're just going to Emily's."

I nodded as I put my shoes on. When I finished, I followed Seth out of the house to Aunt Sue's car.

The ride to Emily's house was silent. I wasn't sure what to talk about without asking what was going on and Seth didn't seem inclined to give me any answers. I absentmindedly stared out the window, trying to form conclusions of what could be so important in my head.

"You'll never guess it," Seth spoke quietly. It was so unlike him, it was actually unnerving, "No matter what you're thinking."

"Nobody's…" I spoke the words carefully, almost willing it to not be true, "Nobody's hurt right?"

These people were my family now and I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to any of them.

"Everyone's fine," I watched his grip on the steering wheel tightened. His knuckles went white in a matter of seconds, "Physically, anyway."

I didn't say anything more because I didn't think I could handle any more information than that.

We, finally, arrived at Emily's house and hurried inside. I was surprised to see that everyone I had come to know in La Push was crammed into Emily's small living room. All the boys and their girlfriends were here as well as Leah, Aunt Sue, Old Quil, and Billy Black. They all wore the same tense, almost nervous expression, and they all stared at me as I walked through the door.

Jacob—I was surprised to see that he wasn't with Bella—and Embry, who were sitting on the couch, stood when they saw me.

"Scarlette." Embry's voice was pained. I migrated over to him immediately.

I stared up at him, pleading him to with him to tell me, "What's going on?"

He glanced at Jacob like he was asking for permission to tell me. I didn't like that. Embry was my best friend, if something was happening I wanted him to be the one to tell me.

"Scarlette…" Jacob started.

I shook my head, "I want to hear it from Embry."

Embry reached up and scratched the back of his neck, his elbow raised in the air. A nervous habit he had.

"I'm not sure I should be the one to tell you everything," He told me, "I'm not very good at explaining things. Jacob or Sam should tell you, they're better at it."

Jacob moved closer to me, but I wasn't ready to face him just yet.

"Sam," I turned away from Jacob, "Will you tell me, please?"

"Of course." He said. Jacob started to say something, but Sam gave him a look that said he better shut up if he knew what was good for him, "Would you like to sit down?"

I shook my head, I just wanted to get this over with.

It took Sam a few minutes to find a place to start.

"Scarlette, do you remember the legends that Billy, Old Quil, and Harry used to tell everyone at the bonfires?" he questioned.

I nodded.

Of course I remembered the legends. Sometimes after the bonfires Seth and I would have sleepovers and Uncle Harry would tell us the legends again as a bedtime story. I loved the legends, they were the only reason I would go to the bonfires as a child. Unfortunately it was a major reason that my mom decided to move away from La Push; she didn't want me to believe in such 'nonsense'.

Now, Sam was nervous, "Well…there's no delicate way to this…but, the legends aren't just stories…they're real, Scarlette."

It took a moment for me to react, "Are you trying to tell me that our ancestors turned into wolves and fought the cold ones?" I wasn't sure whether to laugh or be angry. This was obviously some big joke they were trying to pull on me.

He took a deep breath, "Not just our ancestors."

It took me a minute to realize what he was telling me. I narrowed my eyes, "It's not very nice of you guys to wake me up in the middle of the night to play a trick on me."

My breathing increased rapidly, turning into short, quick breaths. I knew what was coming next.

"Sweetheart…" Aunt Sue spoke quietly. I knew her tone all too well. It was the tone she used when she was being completely honest with me; her truth tone, I called it. Whenever she used that tone with me, I knew I had to believe whatever she said. Aunt Sue didn't believe in lying about things, she was always honest with us.

I started to sway, my head suddenly spinning. I reached out to whoever was next to me and grabbed their shirt in an iron grip.

"Scarlette?" I was holding onto Jared.

The room started to spin. I reached out to my left and grabbed onto Brady. I was afraid I was going to fall.

"Are you…" It took me a minute to find the words to speak, "Are you telling me that you guys turn into wolves?"

"Yes." Sam spoke.

I lost my footing then.

"Jared!" Kim cried, but he had already scooped me into his arms.

He tried to hand me to Jacob but I wouldn't let go of him so he settled for setting me on the couch.

"Are you okay?" Seth sat himself down next to me. I reached out and grabbed his hand. When we were younger and something bad was happening, we always held hands. It was our way of calming each other down. He knew me well enough to know what was happening to me, "Breathe, Scarlette. Everything is going to be okay."

I tried to regulate my breathing by taking deep breaths but it wasn't working. I couldn't calm down.

"What's going on?" Jacob demanded. He pushed Embry off the couch and sat next to me. He took my other hand and I didn't have the strength to fight him off. Besides, I couldn't deny that it was somewhat comforting to have him there.

"She's having a panic attack," Seth spoke for me, "Leah, could you—" But she already placed a glass of water in front of me.

"What do we do?" There was panic in Jacob's voice, "How do we help her?"

"We just have to wait it out," Seth explained, "She'll calm down after a few minutes."

"There has to be something with can do," Jacob growled, "I'm not leaving her like this."

"Just," I gasped, and it hurt, "give me…a minute…please."

Jacob said nothing but never took his eyes off me. No one else said anything as they waited for me to relax. Seven minutes and twenty six seconds later, I was breathing regularly again.

"I'm sorry." I spoke after I finished chugging my water.

"Don't be," Seth gave my hand a light squeeze, "It's a lot to process."

I looked at my cousin—one of the few people in the world I considered my best friend—trying to picture him as a wolf. He was the most caring, easy going I had ever met, and I couldn't imagine him as a dangerous creature.

"You're really a wolf, huh?" I asked. I didn't know what else to say at this point.

"Yeah, I'm really a wolf but I'm not going to hurt you," I must have given him a weird look because he added, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think you would hurt me," I told him, "You're my best friend, the only person who's always looked out for me, there's no doubt in my mind that I'm completely safe with you. In fact, I don't think any of you would hurt me." I smiled at him, no matter what he was, he would always be the same Seth.

It seemed like everyone in the room let out a relieved sigh.

"So, you're okay?" Embry asked, coming back into my view. He looked worried.

Suddenly, I was on my feet, throwing my body against his in an effort to push him. He didn't budge, "I can't believe you kept this from me!" My tone was a mixture of seriousness and joking.

Embry smiled as he steadied me. Even if I tried, I couldn't stay angry at him, "I'm sorry, I wasn't allowed to."

"Why not?" I questioned. Embry looked at Sam.

"As alpha of the pack," He explained, "I made it a rule that no one was allowed to tell anyone outside of the pack about our secret."

"But Aunt Sue, Billy, Old Quil, Emily, and Kim know?" I said it more like a question because I wasn't sure how much they actually knew.

"Sue, Billy, and Old Quil are the council leaders, they're know everything that goes on within the tribe," Sam continued to explain everything to me, "And Emily is my imprint and Kim is Jared's. Imprints are allowed to know everything that goes on in the pack, but no one outside the council leaders and the imprint can know, so you have to promise me, Scarlette, that you won't tell anyone. "

I vaguely remembered the story of the third wife and imprinting. As a child, I wanted nothing more than a boy from the tribe to imprint on me so we could live happily ever after. I always thought it would be a fantasy, nothing I ever thought would become real.

"I promise." I swore, and I meant it. These people were my family, I would do anything to protect them, "But, if only the council leaders and imprints can know, how come you guys are telling me right now?"

Sam looked at me, almost like he was silently giving me an apology, "This is something that Jake needs to tell you."

My breath caught in my throat as Jacob moved in front of me; I could no longer avoid him.

"I want you to know that no matter what happens, I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" He spoke quietly, not quite looking at me, "Do you trust me?"

I didn't say anything. I wasn't sure I could yes and I didn't want to say no in front of anyone, "What's going on, Jacob?"

"The reason I left earlier is because a redheaded vampire named Victoria is trying to kill Bella." I appreciated his bluntness. I didn't want anyone to beat around the bush, I wanted the truth directly.

My head started to swim again. I was stupid not to realize that if wolves existed that the cold ones would too. I was suddenly scared—terrified, really—that a vampire was this close to my family. I left myself start to slip and Jacob's arms were around me before I could even think about falling.

"Scarlette, I won't let her anyone near you, I swear." Jacob said in a tone that forced me to believe him.

"It's not me I'm worried about." I said. I looked at Brady and Collin; they were huge but they seemed far too young to be fighting vampires. I looked at Seth and Embry and the thought of them anyone near a vampire made me want to puke. It didn't seem fair that Emily and Kim had to deal with the idea that they could lose the love of their lives so easily and I couldn't imagine anyone or anything willing to deal with Paul's anger.

But, when I thought about a vampire near Jacob, I wanted to pass out. I couldn't breathe when I thought about someone hurting him; I couldn't begin to describe the aching, hollow feeling of losing Jacob. It broke me in two just thinking about, so I pushed the thought away.

"You don't have to worry about us," Jake said quietly, "We can take care of ourselves."

I couldn't look at him, it was too painful at this moment.

"Why is the vampire after Bella?" I tried to focus on something else.

"Do you remember when I told you she was dating someone else?" Jacob asked, I nodded, "She's dating a vampire."

I felt myself started to fall back into a panic attack again but Jacob pulled me to his chest, calming instantly.

"Why?" I choked out.

"I don't know," He mumbled into my hair, "but you have to promise me that you won't ever go to Forks unless you're with one of us. I can't have you running into any of the Cullen's."

"Cullen's?"

"Bella is dating Edward Cullen. He and his _family_—" He said the word with such disgust, "live in Forks. Promise me, Scarlette, that you won't ever go there."

I didn't have the strength to say anything so I just moved closer to him. His arms tightened around me.

Everything that happened earlier didn't matter anymore. Right now, I needed Jacob; I needed him to hold me, to keep me safe.

"Are you gonna be okay, Scarlette?" Paul spoke the first time that night. I moved so that I could face him but Jacob kept his arms around me.

"I think so." I said.

"We're sorry we had to throw everything at you the way we did," Sam told her, "But with the redhead getting close to Bella, we didn't want you going around La Push unaware."

"It's okay," I said. I wasn't mad that they kept it from me or in the way that they told me. I was just relieved that I knew what was going on, "But there's nothing else, right? I don't want any more secrets."

Everyone's eyes fell on Jacob and he suddenly looked nervous.

"I don't know if this is such a good idea." He whispered.

"No more secrets." I repeated and stared up at him, waiting.

"Well, there's one more reason that we decided to tell you what was going on…" He spoke quickly, like he was trying to get it over with, "Oh, god…I don't know if I can do this. The other reason we told you is…please, don't be mad at me, but…Scarlette…I imprinted on you."

I wasn't angry…I couldn't be…because my world suddenly went black.


	9. Chapter 9

I am so sorry that it took me so long to update again! Between work and school, I hardly have any free time! I don't want anyone to think I forgot about this story and I really appreciate all the people who kept reviewing, favoriting, and following! It means so much to me! I finally finished Chapter 9 and I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! Hopefully, you will guys will let me know what you think!

I promise Chapter 10 will be posted soon!

Thanks for reading!

* * *

It had been a week since I had seen Jacob.

I had been avoiding him, as childish as it was, and he had been nice enough to let me.

Seth had been giving me constant updates—as I was sure he was doing for Jacob—and even though I wanted to see him, I still wasn't sure I could handle it.

I wanted to be happy about the imprint, I really did, but I couldn't help but believe that fate had gotten it all wrong. Jacob was forced into loving a girl who wasn't Bella and I was forced into being that girl.

He didn't want me, no matter what he said, and I would have to spend the rest of my life knowing that the one person who was supposed to love me more than anything, loved someone else more.

Fate wasn't right, it was cruel.

I had been so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't realized I was walking straight into someone until it was too late.

I almost slammed into the side of a man who was intensely staring at two different boxes of cereal. How he had managed to place the boxes back on the shelf and steady me before I could hurt either of us was beyond me; he moved faster than I could anticipate. I stumbled from the abruptness of him stopping me but he kept me from falling.

I looked up into a pair of topaz eyes.

"I am so sorry!" I cried, a deep, crimson blush creeping it's onto my face, "I wasn't looking where I was going! Are you okay?"

He laughed, a beautiful, melodic laugh, "Please, do not apologize, it was entirely my fault. I should have been paying better attention. Are _you_ alright?"

I was too wrapped up in his face to answer him right away. He had pale—almost translucent—white skin with dark purple bruises under his eyes. He had messy bronze hair that clashed with his proper attire, but, for him, it worked. In simple terms, he was _beautiful._

It wasn't he spoke again that I was pulled out of my thoughts, "Miss?"

I jumped at his voice, "Sorry!"

He laughed again and I forced myself to not get lost in the sound, "Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded, embarrassment seeping its way back into my cheeks, "Yes, of course. Thank you for stopping me before I could hurt you."

"Trust me, miss, you couldn't hurt me, even if you tried." He smirked at his statement.

"It's Scarlette." I told him, ignoring what he said.

"Excuse me?" I tried not to get lost in his eyes.

"My name is Scarlette. You don't have to keep calling me Miss now, it makes me feel old." I tried to keep my voice steady.

"My apologies, Scarlette," He let go of me now to shake my hand. I was surprised at how icy his hand but tried not to let it show on my face, "My name is—"

"Edward." A sharp voice cut in. I jumped at the sudden appearance of a small, pixie-like woman. She was shorter than me with black, spikey hair and features similar to Edward's. I assumed they were siblings; she was just as beautiful as he was.

"Be careful, Alice," Edward hissed, his eyes suddenly dark, "Don't frighten our new friend."

Alice's dark features brightened when she turned to look at me.

I held my hand out to her, "Scarlette."

Her delicately hand gripped mine but I wasn't surprised at the coldness of it this time, "Alice Cullen."

"Cullen." I mumbled to myself. I had heard that name somewhere but I was having trouble placing it.

"We really should be going, Edward." Alice spoke quietly.

My breath caught in my throat.

Edward.

I remembered where I recognized the name now. I hadn't heard it since the night the boys told me that they were werewolves.

Edward Cullen.

Bella's boyfriend.

The person Jacob told me to stay away from.

The _vampire._

"Oh my god." I moaned, my eyes suddenly wide. Jacob was going to kill me.

"Scarlette," Edward's hand reached out to grab my arm. I wasn't sure if he trying to keep me from falling or if he was trying to keep me from running away. I could tell by the look on his face that he figured out that I knew what he was, "I need you to stay calm and breathe."

I could feel it happening. The steady rhythm of a panic attack creeping its way into taking control of my body.

"Perhaps we should take this outside," Alice spoke gently, "we're starting to attract attention."

Edward seemed to sense my panic because he said, "We're just going outside to get you some air. We're not going to hurt you."

He started to walk and I had no choice but to follow him. Alice was on the other side of me, holding my other arm. For a brief moment, I was glad they hadn't let go because I wasn't sure I could walk on my own.

"You couldn't see this coming, Alice?" Edward hissed again.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Alice snapped back. I was slightly surprised that someone of her size could sound so mean, "while you two were talking, her future disappeared."

I wasn't sure if they realized I was listening but I couldn't find my voice to tell them.

Once we were outside, Edward and Alice led me to the side of the grocery store that faced the woods.

_Oh god, _I let the thought slip before I could process what I was thinking, _Is this where they're going to kill me?_

I couldn't decide what was worse: Edward and Alice killing me here or how Jacob was going to react when he found out.

"I already told you, we're not going to hurt you, Scarlette," Edward said, his tone suggested that he was chuckling lightly, "And as for Jacob, I don't think he would ever be capable of even thinking about hurting you."

"Jacob?" Alice asked.

"Scarlette is Jacob's imprint." Edward explained so I didn't have to.

How could he possibly know all of this?

Alice seemed to relax a little, "Well, that explains why her future disappeared. Those damn dogs."

Finally, Edward and Alice stopped moving, but they didn't let go of me. We were in an area that no one from the grocery store could see us. I shivered.

"Do you want to sit down, Scarlette?" Alice asked.

I wasn't sure I could move anymore.

"She's not ready to move yet, Alice." Edward answered.

"How are you doing that?" I finally managed to find my voice.

Edward took a deep breath, "Scarlette, you already know that my family and I are vampires which I can only presume that Jacob told you?" I nodded, "which means that you also know that Jacob and his pack of mutts are werewolves?" I nodded again, but I didn't like his word choice, "My apologies, I will try and refrain from using such words to describe your wolf. Now, what I assuming that Jacob neglected to tell you is that certain members of my family have extra abilities."

"Abilities?" I squeaked out. The ground was starting to spin.

"Yes, aside from the strength, speed, and enhanced senses that all vampires share, some of us have extra abilities," He continued to explain. I took this time to try and regulate my breathing. Strangely, I was starting to feel a little safer with them. I figured if they were going to attack me, they would have done so by now, "That's an interesting way of looking at it, Scarlette, but as I promised earlier, we will not harm you. Anyway, there are members of my family, including Alice and myself, that are different among the vampire world. I have ability to read minds and Alice can see the future. My brother, Jasper, has the ability to manipulate the emotions around him."

That explained a lot but it only brought on more questions, "What did you mean when you said my future disappeared?" I directed my question at Alice.

"The future is subjective which means that it is constantly changing with every decision that is made," She said, "I can see vampires futures because I am one and I can humans futures because I was one, but I can't see the futures of the…werewolves," I appreciated the fact that she stopped herself from calling the boys something I didn't want to hear, "Whenever someone's future intertwines with one of the wolves', their future fades into a dark cloud that doesn't lift until they separate from each other. I didn't know that you were Jacob's imprint but it explains why I could only see you while you were in the grocery store in Forks, your future separated from the back. However, it disappeared when you made the decision to go back to La Push."

I was on information overload again, just like when the boys told me their secret. However, I couldn't figure out why Edward and Alice were sharing their secrets with me.

"We're hoping that if you know about everything about us, you're less likely to be scared of us." Edward answered my unspoken thought, "I know Jacob has told you some pretty terrible things about us, but I want you to know that we're not like that. We try very hard to not be the monsters we were created to be."

I appreciated their attempt to make me more comfortable, but I was not entirely sure that I couldn't not be afraid of them.

"It'll take some time, we understand that," Alice said, "We know this isn't an easy adjust to make, especially after talking to Jacob."

I smiled in spite of myself. Of course they knew Jacob had said some not-so-nice things about them. He could be extremely predictable.

"He doesn't keep much to himself," Edward said, "It's easy to imagine what he's said about us, especially after hearing what he's thought about us."

"He said you were a family," I tried to lead the conversation away from him. I wasn't ready to talk about him yet, "How many of you are there?"

"There's Carlisle—he's the one who created our family—and his wife, Esme. They are our adopted parents, for all intents and purposes. Then there's Rosalie and Emmett, Alice and Jasper, and me and Bella."

The more Edward and Alice talked about each member of their family, the more I realized that they were in fact a _family_. They didn't just live together, they cared and loved each other like actual siblings and parents. They _chose _to be each other's lives.

Once they told me about their diet and how they only feed on animal blood, I started to feel a lot better around them. They even told me where they liked to hunt so that if by chance I was ever in the woods, I stayed away from certain areas. I realized that they were trying as hard as they possibly could to be human.

"You were right," I said after listening to them talk for a while, "The more I get to know you, the less afraid I am."

They smiled at me, but before either of them could say anything, my phone began to ring.

"Excuse me," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket and answered it, "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you?!" I was startled by the screaming on the other end of the line that my phone slipped out of my hand. Edward caught it before it hit the pavement.

"Are you alright?" He asked as he handed me my phone. I just nodded.

"Scarlette?" The voice cried, "Scarlette, are you there?"

I kept my phone about an inch from my ear, "Yes, Embry, I'm here. You don't have to yell."

"Where the hell are you?" He demanded again.

"I'm at the grocery store."

"In La Push? Because I have been all over town looking for you. Sue said she sent you to the store hours ago!"

I hadn't realized how long I had been talking to Edward and Alice.

"Well…" I started, bracing myself for his reaction, "I was at the La Push grocery store but they didn't have what Aunt Sue needed, so I decided to try another grocery store…"

It took him a minute to comprehend what I was saying, "Are you telling me you're in Forks?" his voice had darkened, I could hear his worry being replaced with anger.

"Please don't freak out." I pleaded.

"Are you crazy?" He was practically yelling again, "After everything we told you about those bloodsucking leeches, you still risked your life just to pick up something at the grocery store? What the hell made you think that was a good idea?" He growled at me. I flinched, he had never spoken to me like that before.

I could see Edward and Alice glaring at the comment he made.

"Embry…"

"We're not allowed on their land, Scarlette, we can't protect you over there! What would happen if you accidentally ran into one of them? They could hurt you before we had a chance to get to you!"

"Please don't make a big deal out of this. I'm perfectly safe right now."

"Of course, I am going to make a big deal of out this! You're my best friend and you put your life in danger as soon as crossed the treaty line! You're lucky Jacob hasn't found out yet, he would be tearing Forks apart to find you and make sure you're safe!"

"Are you going to tell him?" I dreaded the thought.

"I can't keep this from him." He said, "Now, where are you?"

"Outside of the store."

"Don't move, I'm sending Jared and Paul to come get you."

"I thought you guys couldn't cross the treaty line." I said. I didn't want any of them coming here, "no one has to come get me, I can drive myself home."

"Don't move, do you understand me? I would rather have Jared and Paul come get you now, then have Jacob show up there later when he realizes you're gone. If the Cullen's have a problem with it, we can deal with them later. Sam says its okay."

"Okay, I won't move." I had given up on trying to argue with him.

"Be careful, Jared and Paul will be there soon." He hung up without saying goodbye.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked after a few moments of silence.

"I am in _so much trouble_." I groaned. I could only imagine what was going to happen to me when the guys got a hold of me.

"They're just worried about you," Edward defended.

"They're going to kill me," I said, "You should get out of here before they realize we've met and they come after you as well."

Edward and Alice exchanged a look and I knew it wasn't good.

"What's wrong?" I practically groaned.

"Vampires and werewolves have a very distinctive smell to one another. And not a good one, I might add. It's our way of being able to smell out our enemy." Edward explained.

"And you're explaining this to me because…?"

"Our scent rubs off on everything we're around. That's how Alice and I knew you were from La Push, the wolves scent has intermingled with yours. And if the wolves' scent can mingle with yours, then…"

"Yours can mingle with mine, too." I said, finishing his thought, "It doesn't matter if you're here or not because they will smell you on me."

"Exactly." Edward said.

"Brace yourselves," Alice cut in, "They're almost here."

"I thought you couldn't see their futures?" I asked.

"I can't. I can smell and hear them. They're close."

I was amazed to watch Edward and Alice shift so that they were standing in front of me. They were trying to protect me.

"Scarlette!" I could hear Paul's voice before I could see him.

"He knows we're here," Edward informed me, "He's trying not to phase. Jared's angry but he's doing his best to stay calm."

I knew Paul would be furious.

"You don't have to do this," I said, trying to move around them, "I don't want to start anything."

"He's too angry for you to be around him right now," Alice spoke this time, "If he phases and you're too close…"

"He wouldn't do that," I defended, almost angry with her for suggesting that, "Paul's my friend, he's not going to hurt me."

Suddenly, Jared and Paul broke through the trees. Jared's teeth were bared and Paul was shaking profusely. They were still quite a distance from us, but Edward pushed me behind him a little bit more.

"I am _not _going to hurt her," Paul snarled, his voice loud enough for me to hear. His voice was scarier than I had ever heard it, "You're the bloodsuckers; you're the ones that are designed to kill humans, not us."

Edward growled.

"Paul, please don't." I whispered. I knew he heard me because his eyes snapped up to meet mine. He didn't say anything more, but he shaking didn't lessen.

"Scarlette, are you okay?" Jared called.

"I'm fine." I couldn't force my voice to go any higher than a whisper.

"Let her go." Jared demanded.

"I won't let her near that mutt," Edward snarled at Paul, "He's too dangerous to be around her right now."

I intervened before Paul could get too angry.

"Please Edward, I trust him," I whispered, "I just want to go home."

"We can't force her to stay away from her family, Edward." Alice chimed in.

She must have realized that there was no way this was going to end well if she didn't let me go.

Edward didn't say anything, he just slowly moved out of my path after a minute.

Once I realized he wasn't going to stop me, I ran to Paul and Jared. When I was close enough, I leaped into Paul's arm; he caught me with ease.

"Please, calm down," I whispered to him. I could feel his shaking start to decrease, "Edward and Alice weren't going to hurt me, I promise. They were helping me when I started to have a panic attack."

Jared moved and place his hand on my back, "What happened? Are you okay?"

I nodded as Paul slowly released me, "I'm okay, please don't fight with them."

Paul nodded at me but didn't say anything.

Jared turned, "Thank you for helping her, we're going to take her home now." His tone was rigid but he was trying to be civil.

I watched as Edward and Alice relaxed their stances.

Alice smiled at me and said, "It was nice to meet you, Scarlette. I'll see you soon." She was gone before I had the chance to say anything to her.

I looked at Edward, "Thank you for everything."

He nodded, "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to call."

Jared growled. Edward disappeared after that.

Without saying anything, the three of us turned to the woods and began to walk back to La Push.

"What am I supposed to do about Aunt Sue's car?" I asked when I had had enough of the awkward silence.

"One of the guys will pick it up later." Came Paul's curt reply.

"Are you mad at me?" I demanded before I could stop myself. I regretted it as soon as I let the words out.

"Am I mad at you?" Paul repeated, "Of course, I'm mad at you! You weren't just in Forks, Scarlette, you were with two vampires! Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

"Yes!" I screamed, startling not only Jared and Paul but myself as well. I didn't need the same lecture from Paul that I had already gotten from Embry and that I was certainly going to get from Jacob if he found out, "I know what could have happened to me! I know exactly what vampires are capable, I don't need all of you to keep telling me! But, Paul, they helped me and they explained who they were and that they don't hunt humans, they hunt animals! After hearing everything they have to say about their family and how they live, I believe them! They had plenty of time to hurt me and they didn't, instead they tried to keep me safe! I trust them, Paul."

Jared and Paul stopped walking and glared at me. I instantly realized my mistake. I could see that Paul was starting to seethe again.

"_What_?" Paul's voice was furious. His face was quickly turning shades of purple and red, and his body was convulsing in ways I had never seen before.

I flinched and took a step back, terrified.

"Paul…I…I didn't mean it…I'm sorry…" I stuttered, having no clue what to say.

"_What the hell is the matter with you? Are you really that damn stupid?_" He quite literally roared. I covered my ears.

He continued to shake uncontrollably and was practically foaming at the mouth. I knew what was coming next. This was the side of Paul I had yet to see, the part that I had only heard about. This was the Paul that couldn't control his anger, the one who would phase at the slightest thing.

"Paul," Jared's voice held authority that I had never heard him talk with before, "You need to calm down right now. We can deal with all of this when we get back to Emily's, but if you don't relax you're going to phase and risk hurting Scarlette." He shifted his body was that he was between me and Paul, his left arm stretched out behind him, warning me to not get any closer.

I gripped Jared's arm I was so terrified. I had never been near one of the guys when they were this close to phasing. I know he probably wanted me to move back but I couldn't find the strength to move.

Paul didn't say anything—I don't think he could speak if he wanted to—he just snarled and snapped at Jared.

"Don't do it, Paul." Jared commanded, "Get control of yourself."

But there was no stopping him now. He was going to phase.

Before I could see what happened, Embry and Seth came trampling through the trees.

"Dammit, Paul!" Embry cried.

Quicker than I could comprehend, Jared moved away from me and Seth stepped in his place. He crushed me against his chest, using his body as a shield to protect me. He lifted me off my feet and moved us a couple steps back.

I could hear the tearing and the vicious growl and I knew Paul was now a wolf. I could hear Embry and Jared—still in their humans forms—trying to move Paul away from me.

I didn't move until it was quiet.

"Are you okay, Scarlette?" Seth pulled me away from his chest but didn't let go of me, "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts, "Don't," It took me a minute to find the rest of my words, "It was my fault. He was mad at me because I was in Forks and I met the Cullen's. I told him I trusted them and he couldn't control his anger. I'm the reason he phased. Don't blame him, blame me." There was no use in trying to hide it anymore, everyone was going to find out.

"Dammit, Scarlette," Seth snapped at me. It was one of the few times that he was actually angry with me, "that was really fucking stupid. We told you not to go there."

"I know, I know. I wasn't thinking. You don't need to yell at me. Paul took care of that for everyone."

He seemed to have realized how terrified I was because he didn't continue yelling at me.

He took a deep breath, "Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?"

I shook my head, "No, I'm okay. Just a little shaken up."

"Don't scare us like that again, okay?" He said, "I nearly had a heart attack when Embry called to tell me that you were in Forks. We've been frantic looking for you."

I leaned into him, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare or make anyone mad. I won't go back to Forks again."

"Good," He placed a kiss on my head, suddenly back to the comforting Seth I needed right now, "Let's get you home, mom is probably getting worried."

He moved so that he was standing next to me, holding my hand, and started leading me home.

We didn't say anything to each other, at this point there was nothing left to say. I was exhausted and still processing everything that had happened, and he knew it.

We got about half way home when Seth stopped walking. His head snapped up and he looked to the right of us.

"What's going on?" I asked, already dreading what his answer was going to be.

Seth looked at me with apologetic eyes and a small smile. The look that told me I really wasn't going to like whatever he was about to say.

"Jacob's coming," He told me.

I felt like the wind that had been knocked out of me. There was no way I was ready to see him.

"Oh, god," I covered my face with my hands, "Do you think he knows?"

"Well, he's in his wolf form, so I'm assuming Paul showed him everything."

I let out a small cry, "I am _so _dead."

Seth gave me a one-armed hugged, slightly enjoying my pain, "I wouldn't let him hurt you. Besides, if I know Jacob, he's probably just terrified that something could have happened to you and he wasn't there. I know you don't want to hear it, but he really cares about you. You're safety means everything to him and being near the Cullen's put your safety in jeopardy whether you want to believe that or not. He's beating himself up over the fact that he wasn't there to protect you."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes, "I didn't need protection though, the Cullen's weren't trying to hurt me."

"That doesn't mean they can't, Scar. Even if it's just an accident, they could've killed you and none of us would have been there to stop them."

I didn't get the chance to say anything because a russet colored wolf was suddenly standing in front of us. It was the first time I had seen Jacob in his wolf form. I could tension in his stiff body as he slowly inched his way towards us. He was trying not to scare me.

"Hi, Jacob." I mumbled. I couldn't look him in the eye.

He made a slight whining noise at me, and I looked to Seth for clarification.

"He needs you to turn around so that he can phase back." Seth instructed.

I did as I was told.

I could hear the leaves and twigs underneath Jacob move but it wasn't until I heard, "Thanks, Seth." that I began to get nervous.

I turned around slowly and met Seth's eyes first.

"I'll see you at home." He said and took off running before I had a chance to go with him.

I avoided Jacob's gaze for as long as I could, too immature to face him.

"Look at me, Scarlette." I hadn't realized how much I missed the sound of his voice.

I looked up at him and took a minute to take in his appearance. He wasn't wearing a shirt—only a pair of cut-off shorts—and his hair was a mess. When I looked at his face, I could see anger and relief. He was beyond pissed at me, I could see that, but he was also relieved that I was standing in front of him, perfectly unharmed.

I wanted to reach out to him but I was too scared and too childish to do so.

"Please, don't yell at me." I whimpered like a child.

His face was suddenly dark and I knew at this moment that all he was feeling was anger.

He stared at me for a long time without saying anything. He hardly moved and I wasn't even sure he was breathing at times.

I stayed silent until I couldn't take it anymore.

"Jacob," I spoke quietly, afraid to startle him, "say something, please."

But, instead of speaking, he was moving towards me at an alarming speed.

I tried to move but he had me in his arms and backed up against a tree before I had time to process anything.

I was pressed up against his chest with his face centimeters from mine. For the first time, I could see the fear in his eyes; how absolutely terrified he was that something could have happened to me.

"Jacob—"

"You scared the absolute shit out of me today, Scarlette."

And then, suddenly, his hand was tangled in my hair and his mouth was covering mine.

* * *

So, what did you guys think about the Cullen's? I really want them to be in this story but I don't want to have Scarlette hate them! I know Jacob wasn't in this chapter a lot but I'm really trying to give Scarlette a relationship with all the members of the pack, so please let me know how I'm doing on that! I really tried to catch Paul's true character in this chapter! I promise Chapter 10 will have a lot of interaction between Jacob and Scarlette and I promise it will be worth the wait!

Let me know what you think!

Until next time...


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed Chapter 9! I know it took me a while to update but I was really happy that everyone enjoyed it! I decided that you all deserved Chapter 10 as soon as possible! I must say that I am quite proud of myself for how this chapter turned out and I really believe its my best one yet! I would really appreciate that everyone just take a second to review it so that I know I'm on the right track and that everyone is enjoying it! Your feedback is very important to me! Also, since I am planning writing multiple stories for the wolves, I would really appreciate if you could give me some suggestions on character names. I have been googling it for a couple days now but I can't find enough that I like! So, anyone who has a name that they like let me know!

As always, thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following my story. Its what keeps me going!

Until next time...

* * *

After realizing what was actually happening, I threw my arms around Jacob's neck and pulled him closer. My mind had lost control to my body, and I couldn't stop myself from kissing him.

Honestly, it was a feeling I had never experienced before; it was something _euphoric. _I was getting high just off of his touch.

I gasped, completely taken off guard, when I felt his tongue force its way into my mouth. It was rough in a way that suggested that needed me rather than he was trying to hurt me. His hold on me got tighter; there was no space left between us. I gripped him harder, silently pleading with him to not stop.

I could have stayed lost in that moment forever, but Jacob ripped his mouth off of mine just as quickly as he had kissed me. He was a couple feet of away from me before I could catch my breath. I wanted to pull him back to me as soon as I couldn't feel him anymore.

"I'm sorry," He rasped out, taking deep breaths, "I don't…I don't know what came over me."

"Don't apologize," I said between my own ragged breathing. I placed my hands on my knees to steady myself, "not for that. That was…" I couldn't finish my sentence. I wasn't sure there was a word to describe just how good I felt at this moment.

"I agree," He smirked for a split second, "but that's not why I came to find you."

My euphoria had vanished

"I know, I know, you came to yell at me. Although I have to warn you, Embry, Paul, and Seth already beat you to it."

"I'm not here to yell at you, Scarlette. I came to make sure you were safe," He spoke quietly. I moved closer so I could hear him, "You have no idea how horrified I was to see you standing behind those _leeches_ in Paul's mind. And to think that that _filthy, disgusting, bloodsucking monster_ thought he needed to protect you from us is just…is just…infuriating!" He placed his hands together on the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He was trying to keep himself calm, "We're your _family_, Scarlette! Paul—no, none of us for that matter—would ever do _anything_ to put you in harm's way. You know that, don't you?"

He began to shake. Pain was etched across his face because he actually believed I thought the pack might hurt me.

I moved to him. He opened his arms to me the moment I was close enough to grab him. I could feel him relax when we made contact.

"Of course, I know that!" I said, breathing in the scent of his bare chest, "I told Edward and Alice that he wouldn't hurt me. I've never felt anything but safe with any of you guys."

At the mention of Edward and Alice, Jacob growled softly. I could feel the rumble deep in his throat.

"I want to _kill_ them, Scarlette," Anger spiking his voice, "I want to find them and rip them to pieces for even being in the same store as you."

"Jacob…" I tried to soothe him.

"Don't. You have no idea what it felt like to find out that you were with _two vampires_ in a place that I couldn't get to you," He cut me off. I tried to interrupt him again but he silenced me with a simple look, "It was the most painful thing I have ever experienced. You could've…you could've been killed, and I didn't even know you were gone." I heard all the guilt he was feeling in that one sentence. He wasn't as angry at me for going as he was with himself for not knowing I was gone, "It was like I couldn't breathe when I saw you with them, like someone was holding my head underwater and I couldn't break free. You were standing directly in harm's way and all I could was watch through someone else's eyes, praying that you would make it out alive. Praying that someone else could protect you even though no one could protect you better than me. I never want them to touch you or get that close to you again. Please, _please_, don't go back to Forks, and if for some reason, you absolutely have to, tell me and I'll go with you."

"You can't cross the treaty line." I mumbled, trying to let his words sink in. Even though I aware of everything that came along with the imprint, it was strange to see the kind of effect I had on him.

He pulled away from me so that he could meet my gaze, "Do you think I care about that? If you need me, I'll be there. I never want you to be alone there or anywhere close to Forks, for that matter. With everything that's happening with the redhead right now, I don't really want you going anywhere without me or one of the guys. She's getting closer to the reservation."

"Okay, no more Forks or going anywhere alone." I tried to hide the fear I now felt about the redhead.

Jacob pulled his hand against my cheek, "I can't lose you, Scarlette. No matter what you think, I need you to be safe. You're everything to me."

He spoke with so much conviction that it was impossible not to believe me.

I leaned into his touch, "I'm sorry I scared you."

He shook his head, "You don't have to be sorry, those leeches should have known not to go anywhere near you. They should had known that you were mine. The next time I see Cullen, I swear, I'm going to—" his tone was a vicious snarl. I didn't realize how angry the mention of the Cullen's could make him. I wouldn't do that to him again.

"No, no fighting, please," I cut him off, "You safety is important to me, too. I don't want you to risk your life because I did something stupid."

"You could never do anything stupid," He said, "however, you sometimes make decisions that aren't very bright." He cracked a small smile.

"Promise me you won't fight with Edward over this." My voice completely serious.

"He was near my imprint and I won't pretend that didn't happen. He needs to know that you are off-limits, Scarlette, that he's never allowed to go near you. But, I promise you, I won't fight with him," He told me, "Unless he starts it."

I smiled at his playfulness, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, are you ready to go to Sam and Emily's? Emily's making dinner and the pack is already there." He started walking, forcing me to follow him.

"Are you sure it's okay that I go? I don't want to intrude on a pack thing."

"First of all, you are _always _welcome at Emily's, and second, the other imprints will be there too."

I learned within the last week that Sam had imprinted on Emily, Jared on Kim, and Quil on Claire. It made sense, now, why they were all so attached to each other but I was still trying to get used to the concept that Emily, Kim, Claire, and I were on our little clique, different from everyone else in the world. 'The Imprints' as everyone liked to refer to us as.

Jacob had slipped his hand in mine while I was lost in my own thoughts. It felt nice to be close to him after a week so I didn't pull away.

"What did you do today?" It was my lame attempt to make conversation that strayed away from the Cullen's.

"I was with Bella."

I tensed up at the mention of her name. It always came back to her.

"Why?" I tried to keep my voice calm, "Why wasn't she with Ed—her _boyfriend_?" I didn't want to risk mentioning his name and upsetting Jacob all over again.

"The bloodsuckers went hunting today and someone has to be with her at all times to make sure the redhead doesn't attack," He explained. Although it seemed like a fair argument, I didn't like the fact that it had to be Jacob that spent the day with her. I had the feeling, though, that none of the other guys would jump at the catch to see Bella, "Leech and the pixie must have just come back when you ran into them." He growled as the thought occurred to him.

"How was she?" I steered the conversation in the other direction for both our sanities.

"You don't have to ask me about Bella, you know. I know you don't really like her." He chuckled.

"It's not I don't like her," I said, and I meant it. I had nothing against Bella, "But, she doesn't get to have both of you. She made her decision, and she chose him. You're mine, now."

I clasped my hand over my mouth as soon as the words came out. I looked at Jacob, wide-eyed.

"I'm sorry," I stuttered through my covered mouth, "I didn't…"

However, Jacob didn't seem upset at all. In fact, he actually seemed to be swelling with pride. He stopped walking so he could pull me to him and kiss me. I hadn't been expecting that so he had to steady me when my foot got caught on under a tree branch.

"I like the possessiveness." He whispered in my ear, "Don't be afraid to claim what's yours."

He turned, and we began walking again.

I tried to fight off the blush that was slowing marking my face but it was no use. No matter how time I spent around Jacob, he would always be able to do that to me. It was like I was constantly under his spell and I would never be able to break free from it. Although, for the first time, I think I was actually okay with that.

I couldn't deny anymore that he cared about me; that he wanted to be with me and not her. After everything that had happened today, it was evident how much I really meant to him; the pain, the anger, the guilt he felt was enough to prove it to me. It was the first time I ever felt like I came before Bella. I couldn't stop the feeling of happiness that spread through me.

He took my hand again, and we walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, just enjoying the feeling of being near each other again.

I smiled when Emily's house finally came into view. Jacob wasn't the only one I hadn't seen in a week. I had been avoiding Emily's house in fear of running into him. I didn't realize how much I missed everyone until I was here.

"They've missed you too, you know." Jake said, practically reading my mind.

I quickened my pace when we were close to the house, I just wanted to be inside with everyone.

Before I made it, though, Embry came outside.

I stopped moving, waiting to see if he was still mad at me.

"I'm sorry about yelling you," He said quickly, his words jumbling together, "I didn't mean to scare you. I just panicked when you told me you were in Forks and I couldn't get to you."

I shook my head, letting him know that he didn't need to apologize. When we were close enough, he pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks for being so worried about me." I said to him.

"You're welcome."

"Okay, that's enough." Jacob snapped after a few seconds, pulling me away from Embry, "We've talked about the touching thing."

"Sorry, man." Embry said, but he smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes, "He's my friend, Jake. He's allowed to hug me."

"I don't like it." He said.

I wanted to say something about Bella, but I wasn't ready to fight with him again just yet.

"You can get jealous when others guys try and hug me, but not when the pack does," I told him, "Deal?"

"I get to _kill _other guys when they try and hug you." Jake declared, his eyes darkening at the thought.

I glared at him.

"Take it or leave it." He said, simply, "I don't want other guys touching what's mine."

I rolled my eyes at him, again, but, secretly, I liked the way he was acting. I liked that he was jealous and didn't want other guys touching me. He was protective, and it was _extremely _attractive.

Finally, we made our way inside and as soon as I stepped through the threshold, Emily's arms were around me.

"Hi, Emily." I said, struggling to breathe with the tightness of her hold. She was stronger than she looked.

"Scarlette, I've missed you so much," It felt good to be around her again, "Please, don't stay away so long again. It's not the same without you here. I need all the help I can get, being surrounded by all these boys."

I laughed. She knew how to make me feel better when something bad had happened.

"I'll try not to," I said as she let go of me, "I've missed you too."

"Scarlette," Sam, of course, was standing right behind Emily. I should have known he wouldn't be far from her, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, thank you," I said. It was hard to meet his eye sometimes. I would be lying if I said he didn't intimidate me, "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

He placed his hand on my shoulder. I think we both understood that we weren't quite comfortable enough with each other to hug yet, "As long as you're safe and unharmed, I'm not worried about anything else."

"Jared and Paul crossed the treaty line," I don't know why I felt the need to confess this to him. It was probably because he was the alpha and even though I wasn't a part of the pack, I still felt like I had to respect him, "Don't be mad at them, it was my fault."

"I gave them the okay to cross the border. I'm not mad at anyone here. We'll deal with the Cullen's later, if they had a problem with it."

"Thank you." I smiled at him.

"Never forget that we protect our own." Then, he turned to Jacob, "Can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

Jacob's eyes fell on me.

"Go," I told him, "I'll go say hi to everyone."

I tried shoving him playfully but he didn't budge.

"I haven't seen you in a week. I'm not leaving your side. You'll be lucky if I let you go to the bathroom by yourself." He looked at Sam, "Can it wait until later?"

Sam nodded.

Taking that as my cue to leave, I moved to the living room. Quil was the first one to greet me.

"Long time no see!" He cried, pulling me into a one-armed hug. He was always loud, no matter what was happening, "I was kind of starting to miss you." He winked at me.

"I missed you too." His light-hearted nature always made me feel more comfortable. He was loud but he knew how to make someone feel more relaxed.

I greeted Claire with a hug; she seemed to be shadowing Quil, moving when he moved, going where he went.

Brady and Collin refused to move from their spot on the couch but they smiled at me and said they were happy to see me again.

Seth pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head but didn't say anything, no words were needed between us.

Kim squealed when she was me, which surprised me because she was normally so quiet. After asking if I was alright, Jared hugged me and told me he would always have my back.

Finally, Paul was standing in front of me.

"I'm sorry!" We said together, and then laughed nervously.

We stared at each other awkwardly for a minute.

"Truce?" I asked, holding out my hand.

Paul smiled and pulled me into his arms, lifting my feet off the ground. I could hear Jacob growl behind us.

"I won't ever hurt you." He said against my neck.

"I know." I said, "I'm sorry I made you mad."

"You didn't, it was those damn leeches."

"Give me back my imprint." Jacob demanded.

Paul set me back on the ground, "We good?"

"Always."

"Just keep your hands where I can see them." Jacob threatened, his narrowed eyes glaring at Paul.

While those two continued to bicker, I moved back into the kitchen where Emily was working on dinner.

"Is there anything I can do that help?" I asked, jumping onto the counter.

"You can keep me company." She said, "How are you doing?"

I knew she just wanted to talk about Jacob.

"I'm good," I spoke honestly, "I mean, today didn't turn out exactly like I thought it would, but, all things considered, I'm pretty happy with the outcome."

"You two talked?"

"Yes."

"About?" I smiled at the exasperated tone in her voice. She just wanted the juicy details.

"He told me how terrified he was when he found out I had crossed the border and how much he cared about me. He told me I was everything to him." I explained to her. I smiled in spite of myself. She continued to move around the kitchen but I could tell she was hanging onto every word I said, "I've never seen him so vulnerable before, it was impossible not to believe him."

"Of course, you're everything to him." She said as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "You have been since the moment he imprinted on you."

"He kissed me, too."

Emily almost dropped the pot she was holding and turned to face me, her eyes bug-eyed.

"_What_?" She all but screeched. She couldn't hide the smile she had plastered across her face.

"Shh! Don't be so loud!" I stopped for a moment to gather my thoughts, "No one's ever kissed me like that before. It was intense and passionate and _so sudden_, but it was like I could feel everything he felt for me in that one kiss. What is like that for you and Sam?"

She had begun the person I went to for advice.

"It still is. Every time he kisses me, I can feel all the love he has for me. It's something that never goes away, but, trust me, you'll never want it to." She smiled as she talked about it.

"It was the best kiss I've ever had." I whispered to her. No one had ever even attempted to kiss me like that before.

"The best, huh?" I looked up to see Jake leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest, smirking at me.

I blushed, profusely, "Were you eavesdropping?"

He tapped his right ear, and I blushed even harder. I forgot that all the guys had enhanced hearing and had heard everything I just confessed to Emily.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked, too embarrassed to look at him now.

He moved, closing the space between us quickly. His hand came under my chin, forcing me to look at him. I watched Emily continue to cook, pretending that she wasn't paying attention. From the corner of my eye, I could see her giddy smile. She had been waiting for the day, Jacob and I finally accepted the imprint and each other. She was probably more excited for the two of us than we were.

"I told you, it's been a week since I've been around you," His face moved closer to mine, his attempt at teasing me, "I'm not letting you out of my sight for that long."

Just as his lips were about to graze mine, Quil burst through the kitchen yelling, "Come on, none of us want to see or hear any of that! There are minors in here!"

I laughed but Jacob turned to glare at him. He was about to say something to Quilt when Emily cut him off and yelled, "Food's ready!"

It was like a stampede after that; the guys came from all directions, pushing and shoving their way to the food. I gripped Jacob's shirt, slightly nervous that someone might knock me down, but there was laughter etched across my face.

The moved like children learning to walk, clumsy and ungraceful as they tried to reach around each other for everything they wanted.

I noticed Kim and Claire in the back—closer to the living room—rolling their eyes at the childish nature of their men trying to eat.

My smile grew.

Sam let out a loud whistle. Everyone froze. All the guys met Sam's gaze.

He had a mock glare on his face.

"Has Emily taught you men nothing?" His tone suggested that he wasn't actually mad—it was easy and playful, something I wasn't used to with him—but, still said, everyone better listen to what he had to say, "Ladies first."

It a minute for them to move, but the guys set their plates on their table and cleared the way for the girls. Brady and Collin mumbled about how they hadn't eaten in hours. Paul glared at Sam and Seth just really didn't seem to care. Jared and Quil apologized profusely to Kim and Claire.

"What are you smiling at?" My gaze found its way back to Jake's.

"Everything." I grabbed him by the next and pulled his lips to mine, spontaneity gaining control of me. I could hear Quil gagging in the background, and then Claire smacking in him playfully in the back of the head. I couldn't stop smiling through the kiss. Finally, —after some of the boys started to clear their throats—I broke away from him to hope off the counter and claim my food. He followed after me, "I'm just happy to be home."


End file.
